Sunman, IN — Great Plains Communications, wants its customers to be aware of a phone scam going around where the caller claims a child of the person the scammer called has been in an accident and arrested.
The caller then asks for bail money. Do not fall for this scam. If possible, try to contact your child or loved one first to verify their safety. Law enforcement officials will never call to ask for bail money over the phone according to Batesville Police Chief Stan Holt.
What You Can Do to Avoid a Scam:
• Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
• Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
• If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
• Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
• Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone (a friend, a family member, a neighbor) what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
