Ossining P.D. Warn About Family Emergency Scams

On May 1 Patch told you about the Ossining woman who was scammed out of more than $13,000. Now, the Village of Ossining Police Department is issuing the following warning to all residents: 

The reminds residents that money transfer schemes have become very common. The reason that criminals like to use money transfers, such as Western Union or money gram, is because they can get their hands on your money quickly and there is no way you can reverse the transaction or trace the money. Many such schemes involve sending money to a foreign country. Family emergency (or friends) is a common scheme.

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Typically a family emergency scheme involves a criminal posing as a relative or an e-mail from a relative or friend, asking for money to assist with an emergency which might involve fixing a car, getting out of a legal jam, or leaving a foreign country. The scammer pretends to be a relative or friend and begs you to wire money right away to a foreign country. Check it out with your family of friend and they know nothing about it. If you absolutely cannot ignore the request try to verify the caller’s identity by asking personal questions a stranger could not answer. And keep trying to reach the family to verify the emergency.

To read the story about the Ossining woman who was scammed out of $13,000 click here.