Scams On Elderly Popping Up In Our Area

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Imagine you get a call that your grandson is in jail and the only way he can post bail is if you send $2,800 via Western Union to the prison representative on the other end of the phone. The person even says he'll send a taxi to pick you up so you can get to the bank and then wire the money- just don't talk to anyone else about the arrangement or your grandson could be in even more trouble.

If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a scam. It almost happened to a woman in Carnegie, but she was smart enough to call family members and verify what was happening before she lost a pile of money. For those that do fall for it, like world-renowned wrestler Kurt Angle's mother, it means a loss of money that most likely will not come back.

KDKA-AM's Larry and John talk to Carnegie Police Chief Jeff Harbin about this scam and how you can prevent this from happening to you.