Crime

Phone Scammer Attempted to Deceive 92-Year-Old Phoenixville Woman

- by MyChesCo
Crime

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Pennsylvania State Police from the Embreeville Station say they are investigating an incident of attempted Theft By Deception and Impersonation.

Authorities state that on May 02, 2022, Troopers responded to New Philadelphia Road in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania for a report of a phone scam. The 92-year-old female victim stated that an unknown perpetrator attempted to obtain her bank account information but was unsuccessful. This is an ongoing investigation.

If you have information about this incident, contact the Pennsylvania State Police Embreeville Station at 610-486-6280, reference ID# PA2022-548325.

Information is subject to change at any time. Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

How To Avoid a Scam

Four Signs That It’s a Scam

  1. Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization you know.
  2. Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM or a PRIZE.
  3. Scammers PRESSURE you to act immediately.
  4. Scammers tell you to PAY in a specific way.

What You Can Do to Avoid a Scam

  • Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
  • Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
  • Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
  • Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
  • Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.

Report Scams to the FTC

If you were scammed or think you saw a scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

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