Phone Scams Target Senior Citizens

Two recent scams over the phone targeted senior citizens, Manassas City Police said, including an incident where an elderly woman was tricked into wiring money to her "grandson."

During the first incident, on Dec. 7, someone called an elderly woman and claimed to be her grandson. He said that he was arrested in a South American country and needed money to post bail. She also spoke with another man who claimed to be a U.S. Embassy official. The victim wired a large amount of money to another person in the country and told them her social security number. 

When she contacted family members later, they told her the grandson was safely at his college in Virginia. 

In another incident, scam artists claiming to represent Medicare talked a Manassas senior citizen into giving them his bank account number. The resident reported that on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m that a 'representative' asked for his bank account information so they could send him a new Medicare card.

"The resident was hesitant and did not want to provide the information. He was transferred to another 'representative,' who then talked him into giving his account information," Sgt. Lowell Nevill, a spokesman for the Manassas City Police Department, said in a press release. 

The callers sounded as if they had African accents and called from a 409 area code, Nevill said. The resident called them back and the number was not in service. He then called his bank and froze his account. 

Nevill said that the call was an example of how scam artists use "high-pressure tactics" to pressure people to give out sensitive information. 

"To avoid becoming a victim, never give out your bank account, credit card, social security number or other personal information on the telephone – no matter how threatened you might feel. Scam artists often claim to be from your bank or credit card company, or even a government agency such as the United States Social Security Administration," Nevill said, in the release. 

Anyone who has questions about their benefits or account should ask the caller to send information in the mail or contact their financial institution directly.

Police encourage anyone with information about the crimes to call Crime Solvers’ anonymous tip line at 703-330-0330, or call the Manassas City Police Department Investigative Services Division at 703-257- 8092.