Brimfield police chief confronts foreign phone scammers

BRIMFIELD, Ohio - The now-common phone scam of a grandchild in trouble overseas has made its way into Brimfield, but the chief of police isn't taking the news lightly.

"One of our residents was called advising her grandson was in jail in Peru; the caller even had the correct name of the grandchild. She was to wire money for his release," Brimfield Police Chief David Oliver posted to the department's Facebook page.

It's a phone scam that has been making its rounds throughout northeast Ohio and the rest of the country. The "grandchild" fakes that they need money to get out of a foreign jail. Once the first batch of money is sent, the "U.S. Embassy" calls the victim back requesting additional cash.

All the while, the real grandchild is safe and sound at home.

In the Brimfield case, the grandmother targeted by the scammer is in the police department's senior check program and immediately called police when she got the call. The news didn't sit well with the chief.

"I placed a call to the 'U.S. Embassy' in Peru. They were not really happy to talk to me," explained Oliver. "Towards the end of the call, while the caller was yelling at me so loudly I could barely understand him (and cussing like crazy), he told me he makes more money in a week than I do in a year by telling people their relatives have been arrested."

It didn't stop with one call. Chief Oliver is determined to get under his skin, hoping the scam will stop.

"Geez was he mad and frustrated. And I talked to him so calmly...I have been calling him to chat about every five minutes or so. He's still mad."

Bottom line, never wire money if you don't know where it's going. If you receive this phony call, contact your local police department to report it.