An alert to citizens, particularly senior citizens, who receive telephone calls from individuals claiming to be "bank examiners".
The scam occurs when:
The suspect calls a senior citizen and advises him/her that he is a bank examiner and there is money missing from their account. The senior citizen is instructed to hang up and call 911 at once to make a report to police. The victim hangs up, but the suspect stays on the line. When the senior citizen picks the phone back up and dials, the suspect is on the line and answers, "Bonham Police Deparment". The senior citizen believes they are talking to police. The suspect puts the caller on hold and tricks the victim into believing they are being transferred to a high ranking official. This official will then ask the elderly victim to help them with the investigation by going to the bank, withdrawing money and turning it over to a detective, who will meet them at the bank.
There has been at least one successful scam completed in Bonham in the past few years with a handful of attempted scams which were not completed by the targeted victims who have in turn contacted local law enforcement officials, and did not go along with the suspect's request.
Citizens, particularly senior citizens, should be on the alert for this scam. If called, DO NOT provide personal information about your bank account(s) and DO NOT under any circumstances withdraw money. Make sure your phone line is clear by listening for a dial tone and call 911 to make a report and contact your bank. The Bonham Police Department never requests citizens to provide money for an investigation.
