The Covington County District Attorney’s office is warning of foreign scammers targeting elderly residents.

“Someone with a foreign account has been calling local elderly residents and advising them that the caller deposited several thousand dollars into the resident’s bank account,” DA Walt Merrell said. “The caller seems to know where the resident banks, but without any other details. The caller then demands that the resident either make an electronic transfer or in, one case, go buy prepaid Visa cards and send them to the caller, so that the mistake can be fixed.”

Merrell said the caller becomes quite aggressive and demanding and feigns anger because of “being done wrong.”

“The caller will call repeatedly in an effort to bully the resident into compliance,” he said. “Of course, this is all a scam. No more was ever wrongfully deposited. The caller preys on the resident’s desire to do the right thing and their trusting demeanor.”

Merrell encouraged locals to keep an eye out for their elderly family members.

“Talk to them about phone calls they receive and caution them to keep you in the loop, so they don’t get taken advantage of.”