Corrales police are warning the public after a local man was tricked by a scammer into paying a fake bail.
The resident, whose son is in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, told police he received a call Aug. 14 that indicated his son would be released with a monitor if he paid the bail.
Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra told the Corrales Comment the caller convinced the man to complete a cryptocurrency transaction that he thought would cover the $1,200 fee.
The victim soon realized that he had been scammed. Police say detention facilities, courts and other legitimate government entities do not require that fees be paid by wire transfer, cash, cryptocurrency, payment apps or gift cards, although con artists usually do.
The Corrales victim was taken by a variant of the “grandparent scam,” in which a person, usually elderly, is told that a loved one is in trouble and a prompt payment must be made.
Scammers also sometimes claim to represent the IRS, utilities or other entities, but the message is clear: pay now or face unpleasant consequences.
Mangiacapra said anyone receiving such a call should be wary of the caller pushing the urgency of the situation.
“My advice would be: don’t let your emotions take over,” he said. “Slow down, take a few minutes to verify the information you’re being given and trust your gut when something seems off.”
Hanging up is always an option: the Federal Trade Commission advises call recipients to independently verify the information by looking up the phone number of a loved one or an organization the caller purports to represent.
The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department offers the following tips for avoiding scams:
Do not wire money to anyone unless you are absolutely sure it is someone you know and trust. Once wired funds are picked up, there is very little law enforcement can do to retrieve the money.
Unless you made the contact, do not give out your personal information.
Do not send a check, cash, or money order to anyone insisting (on an) up-front immediate payment before a service is rendered, and never give out your account information.
When selling anything online, beware of anyone who wants to overpay and asks you to reimburse them for the difference.