The Laramie County Sheriffs Office is warning residents that scammers can 'spoof" fake phone numbers on caller ID, and also warning about an old favorite among con artists that seems to be making a comeback.

The grandparent scam features a call from someone pretending to be a grandchild. The caller claims to be in jail or some other kind of trouble or in a hospital. Once the fake grandchild starts the conversation, they refer the victim to another person, who usually claims to be a lawyer, doctor, or police officer.

The grandparent is asked to call the third party, who then asks the victim to send or wire money.

The Laramie County Sheriff's Office is reminding people as well that phony caller ID phone numbers are often used by con artists. Just because a certain number shows up on your caller ID doesn't mean that it is the actual source for the call.

Those numbers can appear to be from a law enforcement agency, hospital, or just about anyone else.

In a recent case in New Jersey, scammers faked the number of a local sheriff's office over 100 times in one day.

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