A Springettsbury Township couple knew a man on the phone Monday claiming to be their grandson was a fraud, according to police, who warned people about an ongoing phone scam.

The man said he was their grandson, that he'd been in a crash in the Philippines and was locked in a holding cell, police said. The man said he needed them to wire him $2,000 to pay for damages from the accident

During a second phone call to the couple, a man claiming to be an attorney offered to help them get their grandson released from jail, once the $2,000 payment was made, police said.

But the grandparents realized the man they'd spoken with initially wasn't their grandson, police said, so they avoided being scammed.

Such phone scams are often used against senior citizens, according to police, who warned people not to send money to anyone they don't personally know.

Other police departments in York County have reported a similar scam, but in those cases the "locked-up grandson" was supposedly in Canada.