Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office warns of “grandparent phone scam”

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) is warning residents to be aware of the "grandparent phone scam" after a local elderly couple was targeted and almost lost $20,000 to scammers.

According to the PCSO, detectives investigating the incident learned a suspect called the elderly man and posed as Denver attorney representing his grandson. The suspect said the man's grandson was in jail for a fatal traffic accident and the attorney needed $20,000 to get the grandson out of jail. The suspect told the man to put the money in a box and meet at a Downtown Pueblo restaurant to exchange the money.

The PCSO said the elderly couple thought the call was legitimate at first but later figured out it was a scam after contacting their grandson. However, the couple decided to see who the suspects were by going to the meet-up, but with an empty box.

The PCSO said an older woman met the couple and left with the empty box.

According to the PCSO, detectives learned the woman was a Lyft driver from Colorado Springs who was paid to drive to Pueblo and pick up the box. She was not aware of the scam and delivered the box to a specified location in Colorado Springs.

The sheriff's office said detectives are still investigating the incident to determine who the suspect or suspects are.

If you receive a similar phone call or have information about this type of scam, contact the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office at (719) 583-6250.

The PCSO is offering the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of a similar scam:

Do not answer telephone calls from numbers you do not recognize.

• If you receive an unsolicited or suspicious call from someone claiming to be a family member
  and urgently requesting money, hang up. Resist the urge to act immediately, even if the call
  seems dramatic and you are fear for your loved one’s safety.
• If you do get caught up in talking to the scammer, try to verify the caller’s identity and ask
  questions that a stranger could possibly not know.
• Contact your family members to verify the story.
• Limit personal identifiable information you post on social media as scammers can use that
• information to make it more convincing.
• If an unknown individual contacts you by telephone or online, do not release any financial or
  personal information and DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY.