The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office warned residents the "Grandma, I’m in jail" scam is returning to the area.

Claiming to be a grandson or granddaughter, an individual tells the person who answers the phone they took a trip to Canada for a wedding, ball game, or other event. The imposter grandchild — sometimes knowing the real grandchild’s actual name — begs for bail or medical bill money to be wired after supposedly being stopped by law enforcement.

The fake grandchild asks the grandparent not to tell anybody about the incident, especially their parents. A man posing as a police officer speaks to the grandparent to inform them how and where to transfer the money if the grandparent agrees.

The supposed officer requests the grandparent call to confirm the money had been sent — two callback numbers often used in the scam are 416-838-9354 and 647-894-9811.

— by Nina Earnest