Just in time for the holidays, there’s yet another phone scam local residents need to be wary of.
A Hellertown resident independently reported to Saucon Source Tuesday that his mother received a call from a scammer earlier in the day.
The man reportedly told her, “Mom, I think my nose is broken,” and she at first thought it was her adult son calling and asked him where his wife was.
The caller then reportedly told her his wife had gone to work, and that she was the one who’d punched him in the nose.
When the woman asked “Is this (my son)?” the caller hung up.
The victim’s son said he learned after posting about the incident on Facebook that at least one other local resident had received a similar call within the past 24 hours.
In a post to their Facebook page Tuesday, Lower Saucon Township Police corroborated that statement and warned residents about this type of scam.
“On Dec. 12 (at 12:33 p.m.) and Dec. 13 (12:44 a.m.)…two residents were contacted via phone by an unknown person. Both times the person claimed to be their son and to have recently had an incident which required them to get medical care at a hospital,” police said in the post. “One resident told the caller he did not sound like their son and the caller hung up. On the other occasion the resident hung up on the caller at that point and contacted their children verifying they were ok and it wasn’t one of them calling.”
Police said this is a common type of scam in which the caller will eventually “seek money from the person they called.”
“Please be skeptical when receiving calls such as these and verify with your family members or other (sources) before providing any financial assistance,” they added. “There are no ends to the different variations of phone scams criminals will use to steal your money.”
If you receive a call that seems suspicious in nature, or in which someone asks for personal information, you can report it to Hellertown Police (610-838-7040) or Lower Saucon Township Police (610-317-6110), or to either of the departments by calling the Northampton County non-emergency phone line (610-759-2200).
