The Pella Police Department has seen a significant uptick in fraud and scam cases as the summer kicks off.

Detective Justin Bailey says the scammers use clever schemes to defraud millions of people across the country, often combining new technology with old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information. Bailey says scammers often pretend to be someone trusted, like a government official, a family member, a charity, or a company a person does business with.

“Over the last month, the Pella Police Department has seen an uptick in scam attempts in the area,” Bailey says. “As always, we are seeing the IRS scam, tax time just got over and the most common one we’re seeing is the family emergency scam, also known as the grandparent scam, where the victim receives a call of a relative that needs assistance.”

Bailey says to always verify who is on the other line when someone calls to ask for money.

“Never cash checks or money orders received through an online transaction or employer without first confirming their legitimacy,” Bailey says. “As Moneygram explains, they never recommend sending money to a stranger or someone you are not familiar with.”

The Pella Police Department has a packet of information available to residents who have questions or concerns about the latest scams. Contact the Pella Police Department at 628-4921 to report any scam attempts.