(Aurora, Ind.) – It may sound hard to ignore, but if you receive an e-mail claiming to be a relative or old friend stranded in a foreign country you should just ignore it.

Aurora Police Chief Bryan Fields says his department has received complaints recently regarding such scams using a fake sob story to gain the potential victim’s attention.

“The most common scam we are seeing right now is the “It’s me” scam and a caller claiming to be a grandchild who is trouble in some far off land that needs money quickly before he goes to jail.  These scams are not new but are being used in this area,” said Fields.

The Aurora Police Department urges citizens to never agree to give money or send money to a person who requests it by phone, mail, or internet. It’s almost always a scam.

“Please be cautious and diligent with your money because once it’s gone the chances of recovery are nearly non-existent, if not entirely non-existent.  The chances of identifying or locating suspects are equally difficult if not impossible in some cases,” Field said.

Fields recommends the following website for more information on this type of scam: http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/Telemarketing/Outbound/Minor/assistance.htm.