After an elderly couple from eastern Connecticut lost $10,000 in a January phone scam, state police are warning residents, particularly the elderly, to be on alert.

In the case of the elderly victims, police said they had received a call from an individual claiming to be a representative from a state agency. Using the correct first and last name of one of the victims’ relatives, the scammer explained that the relative had been in a motor vehicle accident and was being held in custody. The caller advised the victims that they must provide bond money that same day in order to have the relative released from custody.

Police said the victims delivered the bond money through a courier service that the scammers arranged for. The victims called police when the relative who was supposedly being held in custody showed up at their home. The couple called police.

State police said they were able to recover a portion of the victims' money, but are still working to identify the individuals responsible for the telephone scam.

Police warns residents to verify any information given over the phone and consider it a warning sign if a caller requests secrecy about the transfer of funds.

Police advise people to never give out banking information, credit card numbers, social security numbers, medical insurance information, or other personal identifying information without first confirming the request is legitimate. This can be done by making a direct call to the official telephone number of the banking institution, medical provider or government agency to confirm that they are the true source of the request.

Police said legitimate government agencies will not request that fees, fines or bail bonds be paid with gift cards, cryptocurrency like bitcoin, through an ATM machine or by wire-transfer.

Police ask people to contact law enforcement as soon as possible if they discover they have been the victim of a scam.