Crime & Safety

Police Warn of Phone Scam

County residents, especially the elderly, are reporting calls asking for money.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department has issued a warning that scammers are targeting elderly residents in a phone scam involving large amounts of money.

The callers pose as family members in need of money or an official calling on behalf of the family member because they are in jail and need to be bailed out. Scam victims have reported the callers request the money be sent to locations in Canada or countries in the Middle East.

The scam, which has been increasingly reported in Ojai, especially, has also made the rounds on e-mail and Facebook.

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The Sheriff's Department advises those receiving suspiscious phone calls to report them to their local law enforcement office and makes the following recommendations to keep from getting taken advantage of:

  • Always know who you are talking to and get information on the business and a call back number.
  • Never provide your confidential information, such as date of birth, social security number, or bank account numbers.
  • Discontinue transactions if someone coaches you on how to send money or respond to questions from money order service employees.
  • Always check with other family members when a suspect calls and poses as a family member requesting money and call the family member the officials are talking about.

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