The Marathon County Sheriff's Office says a new scam tactic is being deployed.
Three people have lost over 80 thousand dollars in the last few weeks.
Public information officer Sarah Severson says the incident started with the usual grandchild needs money scheme and ended with the money being handed over in person.
“That grandchild was being held in jail and needed bond money. These individuals called asking for that money and then later showed up in person at the victim’s home to collect the cash”, said Severson.
She wants this to be a learning moment for families everywhere, to stay in communication and ask questions before turning money over.
“So if they’re informing you that you have a grandchild that is in jail or was in a serious car accident, and they need financial resources to help them….call a family member, call a friend. Make sure you verify those facts.”
Severson says one way to make sure you don't lose money in these incidents is to set up a family password to verify such claims.
“So should there be an emergency in your family that there is a specific code that only your family members would know.”
Severson says officers are investigating the incident and one person has been arrested.
If you have any information or received one of the calls, you're asked to reach out to the Sheriff's office as well.
