Winneshiek County Sheriff warns about “Grandparent Scams”
Scam alert / MGN
ABC 6 NEWS — The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa is warning community members about a scam which recently saw an elderly couple lose $15,000.
In a press release, the sheriff’s office is warning of “Grandparent Scams”, where scammers pose as law enforcement officials and call grandparents, alerting them their grandchild is being held in jail. Then, another scammer, acting as the grandchild, begs the grandparents for bond money.
The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office suspects that multiple households in the are have fallen victim to the scam, and simply haven’t reported it. One couple did report the scam, after having lost $15,000 in cash.
According to the sheriff’s office, this is a very common scam that they have previously alerted the public to.