Police in Lafayette issued a fraud alert earlier this week after a number of residents reported a phone scam in which someone requested money for a supposed relative.

Several residents on Thursday reported receiving calls from someone saying that a grandchild had been arrested while visiting Lima, Peru and requesting money for bail or airfare. Residents are then asked to wire money via Western Union to Lima, Peru to help the family member, police said.

Police were reminding residents to verify the location of the family member mentioned in the phone call before wiring money to ensure that they are not dealing with a scammer.

Anyone who is uncertain about the validity of such a request was invited to call police at (925) 284-5010 or via the police tipline at 94549Tip@gmail.com.