In the family emergency scam, the scammer pretends to be an authority figure, such as a cop, EMT, fire fighter, or doctor who is just trying to help your family member who has just been in a horrible accident and needs money for a medical treatment immediately. Scammers use information about your family gathered from social media and public records to make their story sound legitimate.
You will then be asked to send money via wire, gift card, crypto, or some other method so that your family member can have the medical procedure to survive this horrific incident. It needs to be sent quickly so you don’t have time to verify the story.
Before sending any money in this situation, you should verify that this is truly an emergency by directly calling the hospital, police station, your family member, or other family members via known phone numbers. Avoid sending money via wire, gift cards, or cryptocurrency because you are unlikely to get this money back if it ends up being a scam. Also, under the EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act), hospitals are legally obligated to provide emergency care, including surgery, to anyone who arrives at their emergency department, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.
Be sure to check out our Blog or our page on Facebook for fraud tips every Friday. We’ll cover different types of fraud as well as red flags to help you identify when it might be a scam.
Remember, if you have questions about a possible fraud situation or just an uneasy feeling about a phone call, text, email, or transaction, feel free to contact the Fraud Department at (605) 934-2500.