The Dane County Sheriff's Office wants to remind citizens of potential telephone scams targeting the elderly.
Earlier today (04/24/2012), a Sheriff's deputy responded to the home of an 87-year-old fraud victim in the town of Westport. She had been contacted by telephone by a person claiming to be helping her grandson, who was in trouble and needed cash. The caller then had the woman send $3900 to an overseas address.
The ploy of claiming that a friend or family member is in trouble and needs cash is a common tactic used by these scammers and they generally target the elderly. Please talk to anyone that you feel could potentially be a victim of such a scam and caution them to check with family or law enforcement before responding to any such claims.