SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Saugerties Police Department is warning residents of a scam that has been occurring in the area. They say several police agencies are investigating grand larceny complaints around Ulster County as a result of the scam.

Police said the scammer calls and tells the victim that they are calling on behalf of a family member or a close friend to the victim. The caller then tells the victim that the friend of a family member was involved in an accident or has been arrested.

The scammer then asks for money for bail. In some cases, police said the scammer is pretending to be an attorney and requests a retainer fee to represent their family member or friend.

In a case in Saugerties, police said the scammer called the resident and said they were an attorney representing the victim’s grandson. The caller told the victim he needed to pay $12,000 in cash to have his grandson released from jail and a courier would come and pick up the money. Police said the victim went to his local bank, withdrew the money, and then a person claiming to be the courier collected the money.

The Saugerties Police Department is urging anyone who experienced a similar type of call or communication to notify their local police, state police, or sheriff’s office to report the incident. Law enforcement authorities can then verify if the call was genuine or a scam.