APD warns of financial phone scam

Press release

from Asheville Police Department

In the past few months, the Asheville Police Department has seen an increase in the amount of scam-related reports filed with our agency. The scams are all the same and involve individuals in Mexico calling elderly victims here in Asheville and pretending to be a grandchild in the need of financial assistance while on vacation in Mexico. Each scam reported so far involved a story about a DWI charge or other incident involving the Mexican court system and the need for money to pay court fees. In most cases, the money wired to Mexico by the victims has been in excess of $10,000.

This seems to be a nation wide scam where the perpetrators somehow obtain phone numbers of victims. The information they provide to the victims is usually generic but sounds believable enough for some victims to send money. This scam is not only occurring in Mexico but also some Caribbean countries as well. Please be cautious if you receive requests to send money outside of the United States.

Detective J. Burleson
Asheville Police Department – Financial Crimes Unit

PO Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802
Tel: 828.259.5927 Fax: 828.350.0020

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