GIBSON COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) informed Eyewitness News of a recent scam going on.
The sheriff’s office has received reports of scammers calling people stating their grandchild was in jail and needed bail money. One call claimed to be a Michael Roberts from the Public Defender’s Office of Massachusetts. The number he called from had an area code from Oregon. Officers say a public defender’s office is unlikely to have an out-of-area phone number.
The sheriff’s office suggests if you get a call from an unknown number claiming to be a family member, to hang up and call the family member’s real phone number. They also suggest calling someone like a family member who would know if the grandchild was in jail.
Officials remind the public to never give out any personal or payment information to scammers on the phone. The kind of information scammers may ask for according to the sheriff’s office may include:
- Bank account numbers
- Credit/Debit cards
- Gifts cards they insist you buy and read the numbers over the phone to them
You can find more information about how to avoid being scammed here.