VIDALIA — Con artists have managed to swindle more than $30,000 from one Concordia Parish family in a telephone scam that targets elderly citizens.

Several Concordians have reported receiving telephone calls supposedly from overseas, with the caller pretending to be a relative — a grandson or granddaughter — and stating that they are in an emergency situation and need money wired to a bank, according to investigator Capt. David Hedrick.

“One family lost nearly $30,000, and it’s next to impossible to find out who and where the perpetrators are — much less recover the money,” Hedrick said. “They’ll have people wire the money through Western Union, and it’s never seen again.”

Through researching names of family members and history, the callers are able to fabricate elaborate stories that sound believable to any worried grandparent.

“Con artists are becoming more and more sophisticated in the use of the Internet and in identify theft,” Sheriff Randy Maxwell said. “They’ll use any information they can gather to deceive people and steal as much money as they can.”

Both Maxwell and Hedrick urged anyone receiving a similar call to immediately contact family members to determine if the call was factual.

If not, Hedrick said to contact the sheriff’s office and all cases will be referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance.