Be careful if you get any phone calls saying that one of your family members is in trouble and that they need money immediately wired.

The Staunton Police Public Information Officer has been following several cases in recent weeks.

One scam involved an elderly lady who wired $10,000 to someone in Spain saying her son was in a car wreck. The scammer even had someone on the phone who mimicked her son.

Another case involved a man wiring money to Mexico. Some scammers are even sending photoshopped pictures of family members saying they are in trouble.

"This money is being sent overseas. We don't know how it's connected. We don't know if the scammers are linked. But once you start sending the money internationally, you can send it to several banks, which just obliterates any trace," said Officer Klein.

Officer Klein recommends to be suspicious if you are asked to send any money overseas. She also said to use the website Snopes.com: which lists recent scams and how you can catch them.

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