Phone scams involving lies about personal bank accounts or grandchildren, as well as requests for money and personal information, are targeting residents in Coronado, police confirmed.
According to Coronado Police, at least six residents have called authorities after receiving phone calls from an unknown person who asked them for personal and financial information.
Investigators say some of the suspect callers identified themselves as a “bank examiner” while speaking with victims. Several of the suspects told victims they were conducting counterfeit investigations.
Two others claimed they were calling about checks from the victims’ accounts that someone was supposedly attempting to cash or checks that had allegedly gone missing, police said.
“The ‘bank examiner’ scam is used by con artists, who try to control victims by frightening them into believing they are losing money,” the Coronado Police Department said in a statement on Thursday. “They then offer a solution to distracted victims, who aren't thinking clearly. The thieves speak quickly and trap their victims by promising to replace the money but not before they give up valuable personal information.”
In addition to the “bank examiner” scam, Coronado Police are also investigating a phone scam in which con artists tell victims that their grandkids are in jail and they need bail money quickly.
In the “grandkids in jail” scam, police were able to stop a wire transfer of $17,000 from a victim to the scammer. In another instance, police say one victim lost $2,900 after using a money transfer company to send cash to a suspect caller.
Officials have not yet identified or arrested anyone involved in these phone scams.
Police want to remind residents to never provide personal or financial information to a stranger over the phone. Police ask residents to report any suspicious scam calls to police.
Additional victims of this particular string of phone scams are asked to call the Coronado Police Department at (619) 522-7350.
