Chillicothe Police Detective Michael Smith reports officers have received information regarding a phone scam targeting elderly Chillicothe citizens.
He explains a caller informs the victim he is with a law enforcement agency from outside of the country, and a family member has been involved in an accident or has been arrested. The caller then allows the victim to talk to the family member and asks for a certain dollar amount to be sent before the family member sees the judge.
If someone receives a call like this, Smith encourages citizens to not send any money to the scammers, hang up, and contact the family member mentioned in the call. He reports many of the calls come from the area codes of 809, 284, or 876, which are from the Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, and Jamaica.
Someone who contacts a phone number with these area codes will be subjected to international calling rates. Smith encourages persons who do not make international calls to ask their phone provider to block international calling. He advises individuals who receive a call or email that does not seem right to them to contact the Chillicothe Police Department.
