WARREN, Ohio - An elderly Warren woman was spared from a scam that could have cost her thousands of dollars thanks to some alert postal workers.

According to a police report, a 75-year-old woman got a phone call from someone she didn’t know, who claimed that her grandson was in Indiana and needed $7,500.

The caller told her to send the money to an address in Indianapolis, Indiana.

After getting the cash from her bank, the woman went to the post office to mail it.

That’s when someone working at the post office saw what she was doing and told her she was being scammed.

She took the postal employee’s advice and called the police to file a report.

The Federal Trade Commission says grandparent scams or family emergency scams are common and offers tips to avoid being taken in.

If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a grandchild, other family member, or friend desperate for money:

  • Resist the urge to act immediately – no matter how dramatic the story is.
  • Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
  • Don’t send cash, gift cards, or money transfers – once the scammer gets the money, it’s gone!