Police Warn Residents Of Scams In Cheshire

CHESHIRE, CT — Police are advising residents of a recent “uptick of scams targeting elderly residents” in Cheshire.

Police said the scams have come in different forms, including “Grandparent Scams” and “Online Scams through computer interactions.”

Read more from the Cheshire Police Department below:

Grandparent scams involve a scammer contacting an elderly resident via telephone and posing as a grandchild or other relative who is a desperate situation. Examples of these situations are a grandchild who has been arrested for some sort of crime and needs bail money, or a kidnap victim who needs to pay ransom money to be set free.

The calls are convincing enough to the victim to prompt them to withdraw significant amounts of money from their bank and turn it over to a “bail bondsman” or “courier” who shows up at their home. The victim later learns that the grandchild was never in any such situation and that they were scammed. As payment is made in cash in these cases, it is nearly impossible to trace or retrieve.

Online scams involve a scammer contacting a victim through a phone or computer using texts, emails or pop-ups advising them to contact a government agency or technical support. Once contact has been made, the scammer convinces the victim that their financial accounts are at risk and to liquidate their assets in the form of cash and/or precious metals (such as silver or gold). Once the victim has done this, scammers arrange for “couriers” to collect the assets from them at their home to “safeguard” them. Just as in other scams, the cash and precious metals are nearly impossible to trace or retrieve once taken.

For more information on online scams, including tips on how to protect yourself and how to report scams, please see the attached bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While these scams primarily target people over 60 years old, they are not exclusive to one age group. Scams can also involve solicitation of cryptocurrency transfers, which are also difficult to trace and retrieve. U.S. Government agencies (including state and local authorities), and legitimate businesses will NEVER ask you to purchase precious metals or send persons to your home or business to collect money.

If you feel that you are being scammed or know someone who you believe is being scammed, contact Cheshire Police at 203-271-5500.