Baltimore County Seniors Being Scammed Via Phone, Officials Warn

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Officials warn that Baltimore County grandparents are being targeted in scams involving who they believe to be their grandchildren. Three incidents occurred recently involving seniors from Catonsville, Timonium and Towson.

They're receiving a phone call with the following conversation:

"This is an urgent message about your grandchild. I'm their lawyer. They've been involved in an accident and arrested for reckless driving. They need $10,000 to pay their bail so that they don't have to stay in jail for six months."

Some scammers generically claim to be a relative in need of cash, while other telephone scams actually use the name of a victim's relative, making the scam appear to be legitimate, police officials said. The suspects may advise the victim that they can't talk to anyone because there is a gag order in place or advise them to give false information to anyone who asks questions.

In all of these cases, the victim has been instructed to provide cash and that a courier would respond to their residence to pick up the money. In some cases, the suspect actually has driven to the victim's residence to obtain the cash.

Officials advise residents that if they receive a questionable phone call and are unsure of its legitimacy, call the local police precinct and speak to an officer.