STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The frequent reports of the telephone scams pulled by a phony relative in trouble in a foreign land have died down some, but now that it's spring break, beware.
A savvy Staten Island senior received a call Thursday from a young man saying he had been pulled over by police in the Dominican Republic and was "in a holding cell'' and needed money to get out.
"I swear, he sounded just like my nephew from the Mid-West,'' the Island woman said. "It was uncanny.''
After hearing all the media warnings, including
on silive.com, the woman knew it was a hoax, but decided to play along for a while to try and get the caller to incriminate himself, "but then it got too creepy, so I hung up" she said.
"I guess they're out there doing it again because it's spring break,'' she said. "A friend of mind told me it happened to her recently.''
Several months ago, the NYDP warned Staten Islanders and other city residents to avoid falling prey to telephone scams that play on your kindness and sympathy.
According to NYPD Community Affairs, the scam started "becoming increasingly more prevalent" in late 2012.
Police say the typical tactic is an attempt to convince whoever answers the phone that a family member or loved one has become a victim of an accident or has been arrested.
Sometimes, the scammer claims a relative of the victim was kidnapped and will be killed unless ransom is paid through a wire transfer through Western Union.
The scammer will attempt to convince the person they are speaking with that they will need to wire money in order to cover medical expenses or to bail their relative out of jail.
The scammer does not know whom he is speaking to and relies on the victim to supply the necessary information to continue the scam.
The scammers will try for several hundred or even several thousand dollars. To make to appeal sound more real, they'll ask for amounts like $1,238 instead of $1,200
The NYPD's Crime Prevention Unit has some advice if you receive a call demanding you wire money for bail, ransom, medical expenses for a relative involved in a car accident.
You should:
* Ask the caller their name and who they represent.
* Never supply personal information to the caller.
* Ask the caller for a number where you can call them back.
* Never send money to someone you don't know, especially if they initiated contact with you
* Hang up the phone.
* Remove personal phone numbers or information from social-media profile pages.
* Call 9-1-1 to report the incident.