Phone Scam Averted

Blue Springs Resident Nearly Out $10,000 A resident of rural Blue Springs received a phone call that almost cost $10,000.On Friday, September 15, at about 5:30 p.m., the victim answered a phone call from a person claiming to be a lawyer by the name of Charles Reed. The ‘lawyer’ stated the victim’s son was in a vehicle accident in Lincoln. It was further stated that the accident involved a pregnant female and the victim’s son was in jail. Reed said that a $100,000 (bond was set and, in order to get the victim’s son out of jail, $10,000 or ten percent of the bond, would need to be paid to an address in Forest Park, Georgia).The victim sent $10,000.00 in cash via United Parcel Service (UPS) in Beatrice. However, a few hours later, the victim became suspicious and contacted the Gage County Sheriff’s Office. The responding deputy advised him to go back to UPS and have the shipment stopped and sent back. The victim went to UPS that night and ordered a “Stop Delivery” on the package.An investigator from the sheriff’s office followed up the next morning and was able to determine the package delivery had been stopped and was scheduled to be returned to the victim, which it eventually did. The victim reported the package with the money was returned.There has been an uptick in such telephone scams, particularly those targeting the elderly, with fraudsters posing as relatives or as lawyers or doctors representing relatives. A legitimate lawyer, law enforcement agency or other professional will not ask for cash to be sent via the Post Office.Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson warned the public, “Do not send large amounts of cash through the mail or other delivery services. If you receive this type of call or suspicious contact, do not act or respond to their request, rather contact local law enforcement or the Gage County Sheriff’s Office to determine if the issue is a scam.”

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