The Jefferson Police Department warns residents of an increasingly popular phone scam.

Police Chief Mark Clouse says the grandchild phone scam is where someone calls an older resident claiming to be their grandchild and that they are in trouble and need money. The caller will ask the resident to make a payment at Hy-Vee via Western Union to another country’s address.

Clouse says if you receive a phone call like this, verify the information with another relative, because it might be a bogus phone call. So far, no resident has fallen victim to the scam. Clouse adds that the scam is difficult to trace since the number the scammer uses is disconnected after they hang up.