October 25, 2024 – Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office officials report that they have received multiple reports of a scam 
where the suspect calls the victim and pretends to be an officer, attorney, or bail bondsman. The suspect explains to the victim that their “relative,” usually a child or grandchild of the victim, has been in a car accident, is in jail, and needs bail money.
In some cases, the suspect connects the victim to someone whose voice sounds like the relative’s voice; other times, the “relative” will call the victim after the suspect hangs up, or the “relative” will be the first call to the victim. In all cases, the “relative” reaffirms the scam story by emotionally asking the victim not to tell anyone else in the family they had caused an accident, need bail money, and want to tell other family members on their own after they are out of jail. Those who have reported this scam attempt have said the voice sounded like their relative.
The victim is then directed as to how much money to pay and how to transfer the money to the suspect.
- Please remember that if anyone asks you to pay them using methods where it is hard to get your money back, such as wiring money, cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, gift cards, or pre-paid debit/credit cards with the request to provide the card number and pin, it is likely a scam.
- If you suspect a scam attempt but are unsure, hang up, look up the number, and call the law enforcement agency, company, or person who supposedly called you to confirm. Please do not use any numbers provided to you by the scammer because they will route you to others involved in the scam.
- If the scam involves a relative and you cannot get ahold of them to confirm the story, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.
- If the person on the phone pressures you and makes you feel like you must do this right now or you will miss the opportunity or cause harm, it is likely a scam.
With the holidays approaching, scam attempts have been increasing. Please spread the word about scam attempts and red flags to look out for to keep yourself safe. If you are unsure if a call was a scam attempt and would like to talk to a deputy for advice, please call our non-emergency line at 209-533-5815.
Source: Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office
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