Judy Beemer receives numerous phone calls a day from telemarketers or automated surveys, but last week when she picked up the phone she was answered by a young man in his twenties, who said “Hi, Grandma.”

Beemer has a grandson, but they communicate via letters — she hasn’t talked to him on the phone in years. So the call made her suspicious.

She asked the caller what his grandmother’s name was and got no response, and the caller eventually hung up.

Beemer dialed the police and reported the call, and then she phoned the Orcas Senior Center.

“I would feel so bad if I didn’t say something and someone got caught in this,” Beemer said.

Beemer’s experience is reminiscent of a scam popping up across the country requesting cash sent via Western Union. It’s often called the “Emergency Fund Fraud,” involving attempts to make the victim believe a family member, usually a grandchild, is in trouble and needs money for bail, fines or medical bills.

Undersheriff Jon Zerby said this is just one of many scams, and that islanders should be wary of anything involving a wire transfer.

“Money sent by Western Union is untraceable because it’s cash,” Zerby said. “You never see it again.”

He’s not sure how the lists of targeted people are generated, but the elderly are often singled out.

“They [the elderly] are often kinder,” said Zerby. “And if the scam involves a grandchild, those emotions can override logic.”

Zerby said he receives scam reports constantly throughout the year. Another fraudulent scheme occurring on the island is a caller pretending to be a jury coordinator needing to verify personal information.

Some incidents — involving scams more than $100,000 — are sent to the Secret Service, but reports are so rampant that not all are investigated.

Zerby advises islanders to follow Beemer’s example and if you suspect something is just not right, do not give out your name or social security number.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Zerby said. “If someone wants to give you money for nothing, it’s probably a scam.”

If you do get involved in fraud, take any receipts or documentation, and file a report to the sheriff’s office.

You can also call the Washington Attorney General’s office at 360-753-6200 or visit the FBI’s www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx to report a scam.