Several local residents have been getting phone calls that their grandson or granddaughter is in jail and they need bail money but Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen said this is a scam.
The caller will tell the victim that the person is in jail and explains ways to send money to get them out of jail. Cowen warns that this is a way to scam you out of money and to not give out any personal information.
If you receive a phone call like this, hang up. Ask the caller to verify which jail the person is in and request a phone number to call back to verify of the incarceration. More often than not, the scammer can not come up with a number.
Sheriff Cowen stresses that credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or banking information should never be given to anyone of which you are not familiar. If you believe that you may be a victim in this scam, call the Starke County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 772-3771.
