Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Investigative Operations Bureau
- Economic Crimes Unit

What:
Detectives are encouraging the public to be on alert to recent phone scams occurring in Pinellas County.

When:
Since March 1, 2017, Detectives have identified an increase in the “Grandparent Scam”.

Where:
The scam targets elderly citizens of Pinellas County.

Why/How:
Pinellas County detectives are encouraging the public to be on alert to recent phone scams targeting elderly citizens in Pinellas County.

According to detectives, the victims are contacted by the suspect pretending to be one of their grandchildren. The suspect informs the victim that their grandchild is injured, and is being transported to the hospital. The suspect may also state that their grandchild has been arrested, and bond money is needed. In both instances, the suspect instructs the victim to purchase gift cards from local retail stores and provide them with the gift card PIN number.

The suspect immediately withdraws the money from the gift card using the PIN number. The victims later discover their grandchild was never injured or arrested. Furthermore, the money is not available and in most cases untraceable.

Detectives say, five citizens of Pinellas County were targeted by this scam within the past thirty days.

Detectives advise citizens should verify the status of their grandchild with other family members before purchasing gift cards to provide assistance. Furthermore, citizens should never provide gift card PIN numbers over the phone without verifying the recipient.

Anyone with information on this scam is asked to call Corporal Detective K. Frazho at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200.