CENTRALIA — A new phone scam in the area has a caller claiming to be the target’s grandson and saying he’s been in a car crash with a woman who is seven months pregnant.

The caller says his voice sounds differently because his nose was broken in the crash, but he needs $2,400 cash bond to be taken to a drop box in Centralia.

Centralia Police Chief Brian Atchison assures the public that when dealing with the police department you will never be asked to drop bond money in a drop box.

Atchison explains that anyone posting bond will receive a written document recording the transaction and that bond of that amount will only be taken in the public building and the transaction conducted with a uniformed officer.

Anyone receiving calls of this nature is urged to either ignore them or contact the police agency to verify if the person in question has indeed been arrested.