Porcupine Soup reports that State Police are warning local seniors about a "“grandparents scam” on phone calls recently. Scammers phone claiming that someone’s grandchild or other relative has been arrested and a bail as high as $30,000 needs to be paid immediately to get them out. In Chatham, the victims left $12,000 outside of their house to be picked up by a “courier.” In another case, state police say the callers got the victims to send payments of cash through the mail hidden inside old magazines. They calls also have claimed relatives are in serious accidents. Any phone request for cash should be treated skeptically, police say, first with a pause to figure things out, and make calls to other relatives to confirm any details. Seniors should also phone the police for help if they are unsure about the call. Police also warn to never send cash through the mail or buy pre-paid debit cards or gift cards to send money to someone requesting it by phone. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup .