Another round of phone scams are making their way through the area. A resident reported receiving a phone call from a person claiming to be their "grandson" who said that he was in serious trouble and needed help.

The scammer claimed that he was involved in a car accident out of state and needed money sent to him, or he would go to jail. The elaborate scam artist convinced the victim they were actually talking to their grandson and his attorney. The caller provided very detailed but bogus information to convince the victim the call was legitimate. There was nothing legitimate about the call. 

Without checking the validity of the phone call, or confirming they were in fact talking with their grandson...the resident drove to the bank and retrieved the money from their account and handed it over to the thief's currier.

The thief had instructed the victim to say this money was being withdrawn for "home improvements" if the bank asked...because banks are now asking customers based on all of these scams. 

Police and numerous NEWS Media outlets have repeatedly reported on these scams and alerting residents...warning people to thoroughly fact-check any such claims before acting on any type of demand...and NEVER divulge any personal information to anyone over the phone, no matter what. These scam artists are very demanding and seem legitimate, but they are simply preying on the uninformed and elderly.

If you receive a call of this nature, promptly hang-up and call the police. Never provide, or confirm, any personal information over the telephone...and do not send money, or give bank account/financial information to anyone over the phone, or a computer, unless you initiated a legitimate contact over a secure connection.

Questions? Call Sgt. Moran (610-857-3535)

From today's Daily Local News and the Reading Eagle- 

Attorney general warns of scammers during pandemic

By Ron Devlin

rdevlin@readingeagle.com @rondevlinre on Twitter

Although unemployment is pervasive, scammers are working overtime amid the coronavirus crisis, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Monday night in a telephone town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan.

“There has been an uptick in scams during the pandemic,” Shapiro said during the 45-minute session. “The elderly are the most vulnerable, but everyone is at risk.”

Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat, convened the telephone conference on the heels of a recent report from the Federal Trade Commission showing a dramatic increase in scams during the crisis.

The FTC, which monitors consumer fraud, received 4.7 million reports of scams in 2020.

That’s an increase of 1.5 million, or 32 percent, over 2019. The agency estimates consumer losses around $3.3 billion.

Most vulnerable are people in the over-60 age group, which the FTC estimates lost $56 million to coronavirus related scams.

As of Feb. 10, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seized about $33 million from scams that sold counterfeit N95 masks.

Responding to questions from callers, Shapiro advised recipients to never give money, personal information or financial information on an unsolicited phone call.

Never pay solicitations with gift cards, he said, which are untraceable and make it more difficult for law enforcement officers to do their job.

The Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service, he emphasized, do not make unsolicited calls.

Responding to a 73-yearold Coatesville man’s query about how to verify a call came from Social Security, Shapiro said the agency would provide a PIN that would enable the recipient to verify the caller was legitimate.

Shapiro cautioned against calls that ask recipients to pay for the COVID- 19 vaccine, which is free. He also warned of the so-called Jamaican Lottery scam, where callers notify recipients, they won the lottery but have to pay the taxes before collecting the money.

His office, Shapiro said, recently broke up a Pittsburgh- based lottery scam.

Houlahan, who represents Chester County and parts of Berks County, said she will co-sponsor legislation that allows telephone carriers to offer call-blocking services at no charge to customers.

Similar legislation passed the House but not the Senate in the last session. With a Democratic majority in the Senate, Houlahan suggested it has a better chance of becoming law in the current session.

Shapiro said his office is working with the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen laws against “spoofing,” calls where scammers disguise themselves by using local phone numbers as a cover.

People who believe they have been a victim of a scam, Shapiro said, can report it at scams@attorneygeneral. gov.