Thurston County Sheriff’s Office warns of phone scam

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is advising residents of a phone scam targeting the elderly.

The Sheriff’s Office received two reports in November that people impersonating police officers had called and asked for money. The victims were told that their grandchildren were in jail, and asked to purchase $3,000 Reloadit gift cards at Safeway, then call and provide the numbers on the card. One caller identified himself as Cpt. Craig Perry from the Bend Police Department, and the other identified himself as Sgt. Hunter.

Police say, as a general rule, if someone is calling requesting or demanding money, and you do not know who they are, assume that it is a scam and hang up. Never provide personal information to anyone over the phone, police say.

Anyone who receives similar phone calls should call their local police department or sheriff’s office and file a report.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Thurston County Sheriff’s Office warns of phone scam."