Authorities are warning residents the grandparent scam is back.

New York State Police and Cortland County Sheriffs are both reporting residents getting calls from criminals claiming to be a family member in trouble.

Kathy Whyte
Kathy Whyte
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Typically, a person gets a call from someone who claims to be a family member, sometimes using personal information they found online to make their appeal sound more convincing.

State Police say the reports they are getting are about callers pretending to be a police or court officer saying a grandson had been stopped by police and found to be in possession of drugs and arrested.  The criminal urges the victim to put a large amount of money in a box outside their house to be picked up by a courier service or an officer and not to tell anyone.

In Cortland County, Sheriff’s officials say the caller has been also indicating a relative in legal trouble and directing the victim to send money or gift card information to a specific address.

People should never give out personal information, know law enforcement officials will not call you. Hang up and contact the authorities.

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