A Palos Park resident was targeted in well-known scam where someone on the other end of a phone call claims to be a grandchild in need of money.
Police Commissioner Dan Polk is advising people on the recent scam that targeted someone in the 12300 block of Wolf Road.
The scam is known as the Grandmother Scam or Grandparent Scam, police said. A man claiming to be the Palos Park victim's grandson called and said he needed bail money to get out of jail.
While the details might vary, the premise of this kind of scam is usually the same, police said. The amount of money asked for and the reasons for the request can be different.
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Police ask residents to watch out for these other scams:
Police are warning people about a telephone scam that’s been reported in the suburbs. The recorded message, which sounds like a message from a police department, says the FBI and police agencies recommend burglar alarm signs be placed in yards to deter burglars. The speaker then prompts people to press buttons to learn more about alarm systems. Officials urge people to hang up and not press any buttons. Doing so could lead to personal information being collected .
Police are warning people to be wary of mail scams after a local business received mail from Africa. Police received a letter in a striped envelope postmarked from Nigeria that was sent to a local business Thursday. The letter advised the recipient that a family member had died and left a large sum of money to the recipient. The letter then asks the recipient to deposit money into an account so they can send the full sum to the recipient. Messages like this — either sent through email or actual letters — are scams designed to con money from unsuspecting recipients.
Source: Palos Park Police Department
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