Over $14,000 Lost to Phone Scams in Twin Falls

Twin Falls Police have issued a statement saying that over $14,000 has been recently lost in Twin Falls  to phone scammers.

Over the past few weeks, we have received reports from residents regarding phone scammers claiming to be a relative in jail in a foreign country. One person sent $10,000 to someone in the Dominican Republic. Another reported sending $4,100 to cover the costs of an accident a grandchild was allegedly in.

The scammers are calling and either claiming to be a relative in jail or in an accident and in desperate need of money. They prey on our senior community, posing as their grandchildren and asking that their parents not be told of the incident. In some cases, they have the name of a grandchild and know some family information.

If you receive a call similar to this, you should hang up and call that relative or another family member to confirm the information. These cases are very difficult for local law enforcement to investigate because the money is usually sent to a foreign country.

The scammers will try to prey on your emotions to get the money from you They will yell, cry, and get upset if you tell them that you don’t believe them or hang up on them.  Never agree to send money to anyone before you verify the story. If you receive a call of someone claiming to be a “grandchild,” never offer a name; make them give you a name.

If you have been the victim of this or any other scam, please contact your local law enforcement agency. It will be very difficult for to investigate but  sharing the information may prevent others from falling victim to scammers.

If you would like any information on this or any other scam, please contact Officer Luke Allen

at 735-7358 or by email lallen@tfid.org