Glen Cove Police Warn Residents Of Phone Scam

Glen Cove Police are warning residents of a phone scam that claims a family member was arrested and needs money.

Police say they received numerous phone calls on Thursday from concerned residents regarding this scam.

Residents report they receive a caller claiming to be a law enforcement officer from Kentucky, or another state, who says the resident's relative has been arrested and they will be receiving a phone call from their relative's attorney.

The person then calls back and requests money so they can represent the arrested relative.

"Do not fall for these scams," Glen Cove Police says. "If you have reason to believe a family member was actually arrested, demand to speak to that person directly and ask them questions that only they might know."

The caller will call back again and again requesting even more money until you figure out it's a scam or if you run out of money, police say.

One of the typical commonality on all these scams is the request to buy pre-paid gift cards as payment, police say.

"If you are requested to purchase a prepaid gift card/credit card for any type of payment it's probably a scam," Det. Lt. John Nagle said. "Be very careful when receiving these types of phone calls. Do not give out any information about yourself, including social security numbers or bank information. If you believe you are a victim of a scam contact your local police department. Remember these scams all have one thing in common; to acquire your hard earned money by trickery and deceit."

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