03/20/2022

Don't Fall Prey to a False Family Emergency

AG Alert: Don't Fall Prey to a False Family Emergency

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Attorney General Leslie Rutlegde Arkansasag dot govAttorney General Leslie Rutledge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2022

Contact: Amanda Priest
Amanda Priest, (501) 414-2223
Amanda.Priest@ArkansasAG.gov


AG Alert: Don't Fall Prey to a False Family Emergency


LITTLE ROCK - As spring break approaches, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is warning of the all too popular "family emergency" scam. The scam starts with an Arkansan receiving a panicked phone call from an unknown number claiming to be a family member, like a favorite grandchild, or a friend desperately needing money to get out of trouble. The Arkansan's initial reaction is to immediately lend a hand to the loved one in need by offering to send money via wire transfer or purchase a gift card, where the money cannot be retrieved or traced. The reality is that the friend or relative on the phone is actually a con artist looking to profit from rushed emotional decisions.

"Con artists are ruthless and will quickly take advantage of the innocent with a simple phone call," said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. "If an Arkansan gets a call like this, he or she should hang up immediately and directly contact the person the caller claimed to be, and then report the scam to my office."

Attorney General Rutledge recommends the following strategies to avoid falling victim to the "family emergency" scheme:

  • Resist pressure to act quickly.
  • Ask the caller for his or her name, and if it's not provided, hang up immediately.
  • Never give or wire money based on any unsolicited phone call.
  • Verify the friend or family member's location by calling the family member directly, or confirm with another family member or friend.
  • Do not send money to an unknown account or entity.
  • Have a plan in place when a family member is traveling to easily identify whether or not a need is genuine.

For more information related to scams, call the Attorney General's Office at (800) 482-8982 or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

About Attorney General Leslie Rutledge

Leslie Carol Rutledge is the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas. Elected on November 4, 2014, and sworn in on January 13, 2015, she is the first woman and first Republican in Arkansas history to be elected as Attorney General. She was resoundingly re-elected on November 6, 2018. Since taking office, she has significantly increased the number of arrests and convictions against online predators who exploit children and con artists who steal taxpayer money through Social Security Disability and Medicaid fraud. Further, she has held Rutledge Roundtable meetings and Mobile Office hours in every county of the State each year, and launched a Military and Veterans Initiative. She has led efforts to roll back government regulations that hurt job creators, fight the opioid epidemic, teach internet safety, combat domestic violence and make the office the top law firm for Arkansans. Rutledge serves on committees for Consumer Protection, Criminal Law and Veterans Affairs for the National Association of Attorneys General. She also served as the former Chairwoman of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

A native of Batesville, she is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. Rutledge clerked for the Arkansas Court of Appeals, was Deputy Counsel for former Governor Mike Huckabee, served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Lonoke County and was an Attorney at the Department of Human Services before serving as Counsel at the Republican National Committee. Rutledge and her husband, Boyce, have one daughter. The family has a home in Pulaski County and a farm in Crittenden County.

 
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