A Carroll woman has reported receiving a new type of scam call this morning (Thursday) that used grandchildren again as the bait. The caller said they had been in a car accident and were not critically injured, but they were hurt to the point that talking was difficult. They then turned the phone over to someone claiming to be an insurance lawyer. This man told the woman her grandchild had struck the vehicle of a diplomat who was leaving the country shortly, and that a judge would drop the charges if they were to send $700 via Western Union immediately. Upon hearing that the woman could not make those arrangements without someone else’s assistance, the line went dead. Efforts to call back the identified number out of Chicago, Ill. revealed a disconnected phone number. These types of scams are becoming more prevalent as scam artists find it easier to gather family information and to use numbers that cannot be traced back to their true location. Authorities recommend that anyone receiving such a call check with other family members first before sending any money and then report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency.
