Telephone Scam Alert

According to the South San Francisco Police Department, residents have reported suspicious phone calls or messages that appear to be scams in recent weeks.

The scam artist appears to be calling from the Washington DC area and is advising residents that they are eligible for a government grant worth $7,000. The scam artist tells the victim that they to stay on the line for two minutes and give their age and banking information. 

After the information is exchanged, victims are reporting that the scam artist than provides a telephone number from the Bronx, New York area to call to "claim" their money. When called, that number apparently does not have an answering machine and rings continuously. 

One citizen who reported the call said that the scam artist had a Filipino accent and sounded like an adult male.

SSF Police have given the following advisory:

Elderly victims tend to be the targets of phone scams, however, there is no definied pattern in this case and victims can be of different age groups. If you receive a call from an unknown person or phone number asking for personal information, obtain as much information as you can and report the incident to the police. Do not give out your address, banking institution, social security number or any other personal information. The non emergency line to the South San Francisco Police Department is 650-877-8900.

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