• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Phone scam resurfaces in southwest Iowa

Phone scam resurfaces in southwest Iowa

January 31, 2012 By Radio Iowa Contributor

A familiar phone scam is resurfacing in southwest Iowa. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says an elderly woman in the Council Bluffs area avoided becoming a victim over the weekend after receiving a call from someone pretending to be her grandson who said he needed $2,000 to get out of jail.

“She called and said she wasn’t going to send the money right away,” Sheriff Danker says. “She called and verified where her grandson was and that he was okay.” Danker says these scammers will do their homework and they know just who to call.

“A lot of times, we’ll get an individual that actually knows the grandson’s name and will say, ‘I’m in jail and I need this amount of money, would you wire it to me?'” The sheriff says some scammers take it a step further and use a bit of a scare tactic.

“Other times, somebody will be representing themselves as a law enforcement agency, stating, ‘Your grandson so-and-so is in jail and he is going to need X-amount of money go get out of jail.'” Sheriff Danker says unfortunately, there have been local cases where victims have wired money to the scammers.

By Karla James

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News

Featured Stories

Final employee who was there at the launch of the Iowa Lottery to retire

No more USPS mail in Iowa prisons; inmates to get copies of mail

State officials warn of influx of fake prescription drugs laced with fentanyl

‘Brain-eating amoeba’ discovered in Taylor County lake

Cedar Rapids therapist’s relationship with student leads to years in prison

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State basketball builds on its identity

Vance provides leadership for ISU defense

Knee injury sidelines Iowa’s Feuerbach

Iowa State’s McDonald has unfinished business

Hawkeyes open fall camp

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC