The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station warned Thursday of a phone scam targeting Malibu residents that seeks to get people to wire money overseas.
A press release from the Sheriff’s Station said Thursday:
“Malibu/Lost Hills Station desk personnel have reported a sharp rise today in calls from Malibu residents reporting they had received suspicious phone calls seeking financial assistance for a relative in need of immediate help.
“During these phone calls, the caller claimed to be a relative of the victim and that they had been arrested in a foreign country. In most of these calls, the caller asks the victim, usually elderly, not to notify other relatives of the situation, claiming it will cause embarrassment or punishment. The caller then asks the victim to wire money to a foreign country, usually through Western Union. It is later determined the caller was an imposter and the relative they were claiming to be, was never in any peril.
“This is a common scheme used to defraud people out of their money. These calls generally come from other countries. If you should receive this type of call, immediately check with other family members to determine the relative in question is in fact out of the country and the call is in fact a scam. These calls can be reported to The Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles office at 310-477-6565 or online at IC3.gov.
If you have any information regarding this type of criminal activity, Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station deputies are asking you to please contact the FBI or anonymously through crime stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website lacrimestoppers.org.