Local resident falls victim to scammers

Last week an 81- year- old woman who resides in the 500 block of West Pearl Street was scammed for more than $ 18,000 in what Auglaize County

Sheriff Allen Solomon described as a grandmother/ grandfather scam.

On Wednesday Dec. 2, the victim answered a call from a person claiming to be her grandson’s attorney; he requested $ 9,500 in bail money, which was then picked up in person by someone driving a U- Haul truck.

So what is the grandmother/ grandfather scam?

"If we're talking about the grandmother/ grandfather- type fraud incidents, then we're talking about things where… people are contacted by phone," Solomon said when describing the scam. "Somehow these individuals are finding out in some cases the actual names of grandsons or granddaughters and saying that they've been involved in a crash."

Fearing for their loved ones - especially around the holiday season and being potentially caught off- guard - concerned family members are often quick to jump at the bait, which is what happened in this scenario.

"In a lot of cases… [ grandparents] are sending the money without maybe checking first with parents or calling the grandson or granddaughter before they can make any moves on that," Solomon said. "And that's understandable because they're put in a position by

these people that are calling them."

If that wasn't enough, the victim was re- contacted the next day by a person who police suspect was the same individual. Only this time they requested about $ 9,000 for medical bills, something the suspect paid over the phone using gift cards.

Hans Monnig, a family member of the victim, wrote in an email to the Wapakoneta Daily News he currently is trying to check for potential video recordings from surrounding businesses of the U- Haul.

The suspect is described as a tall, skinny black man who drove a the truck to collect the initial payment.

Wapakoneta Police Department Records Clerk Nikki Sawmiller advised individuals should be using another avenue to validate what they are being told, most notably by trying to contact a family member.

It's an idea with which Solomon agrees.

"What needs to happen, the best way to protect yourself, is check with other family members before you do something like that," Solomon cautioned. "… [ some] people, unfortunately, are trusting, and they send the money without checking first."

Solomon also cautioned that like banking scams before, people should not answer questions or provide anything involving Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, birth dates, or other types of information without checking with your local bank first.

To protect yourself or a family member from these types of scams, Solomon recommends using the “smell test.”

"If it doesn't smell right, don't do it," Solomon said. "If it doesn't seem right, don't do it. If there's any kind of question in your mind, don't give that information out."

Solomon even suggests flipping the script.

"You know or have an idea who you deal with," Solomon said. "If anybody's asking you that information on the phone, usually if you say, ' well, give me some information about yourself,' [ and] start asking them the questions before you give any Social Security number, any date of birth, [ they'll stop]."

And if somebody claiming to be from the police or sheriff's department calls, Solomon recommends a similar tactic.

"Get a number from them so you can call back," Solomon said. "Confirm who you're talking to."

Solomon also suggested doing some detective work.

If you're being called about a grandson, son, daughter, granddaughter, what have you, it should be from somebody that knows you," Solomon said. "And if it's not, and they're claiming to be a police department or something like that, then you can always look up the correct phone number for that police department or for that sheriff's office and confirm that before you do anything."

Sawmiller described this particular situation as heartbreaking, and noted that while banks have helped stop suspicious transactions in the past, this one slipped through.

“This is elaborate,” Sawmiller said.