The Arkansas Attorney General’s office is warning of a “family emergency” scam that involves a call from a person claiming to be experiencing some type of emergency, and requiring money for help. The AG’s office offered the following recommendations to avoid falling victim to scams like this:
- Resist pressure to act quickly.
- Ask the caller for his or her name, and if it’s not provided, hang up immediately.
- Never give or wire money based on any unsolicited phone call.
- Verify the friend or family member’s location by calling the family member directly, or confirm with another family member or friend.
- Do not send money to an unknown account or entity.
- Have a plan in place when a family member is traveling to easily identify whether or not a need is genuine.