“Hi, Grandma. Um, I’m in Mexico on vacation and I just got picked up for DUI. Can you send $2,000 so I can get out on bail? Please don’t tell Mom and Dad.” The Grandparent Scam has been around for several years and it is both simple and effective. One out of fifty people fall for this tale of woe, and more than $40,000,000 is paid to these scammers every year.
Someone calls a senior citizen claiming to be a grandchild in desperate need of cash. Usually they wait a little bit after saying “Hi, Grandma/ Grandpa,” hoping you’ll respond with “___, is that you?” Then when they say yes and add their name, you’re hooked. We’d all do anything to help our grandkids, right?
The emergency, or reason why they need money, varies. It may be an eviction notice, a car accident, a car that broke down, stuck overseas with no money for a plane ticket home. How about, “I was mugged and all my money was stolen.” The most common are arrests. Your “grandchild” needs money for bail or for an attorney. These scams often involve another person who takes the phone, claiming to be a police officer or a lawyer helping your “grandchild.” And you need to send money, around $2,000, right away.
A scammer will ask for payment via a wire transfer, gift cards, cash transfer apps, or cryptocurrency. More on these in next week’s column.
Often these crooks will call in the middle of the night and take advantage of the fact that you may not be awake enough to ask more questions and you may not want to disturb other people by calling them to confirm the information. Usually your “grandchild” asks you to not tell Mom and Dad. A simple phone call to that grandchild or their parents would let you know they are safe and would tip you off that this is a scam.
How did this scammer choose you to contact? Sometimes they phone randomly, and if an older voice answers the phone, they move into their script. Many older people still have landlines, so that is something the scammer may search for. They might hack into computer files and get email or marketing lists.
More sophisticated scammers know names of your friends or relatives and use those to snag you. They might read names of family members from obituaries. They may have searched for you on social media sites like Facebook. So when unsuspecting grandparents pick up the phone, their “grandchild” appears to know what they look like, who their parents are, where the family vacationed and other convincing details.
If you get a call or email from someone claiming to know you and asking for help, it may be legitimate (probably not). Before you send any money, ask some questions that a stranger couldn’t answer correctly like the name of the person’s pet or the date of their mother’s birthday. Contact the person who they claim to be directly to verify where they are. If you can’t reach the person, contact a friend or relative of the person. Don’t send money unless you’re sure it’s the real person you know.
How else can you protect yourself? Don’t say your grandchild’s name; instead ask which one. Do not call the phone number that person provided. Control privacy settings on sites like Facebook.
Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how panicked the caller sounds. Stop and think and don’t let your emotions control your actions. If you think you’ve been targeted, contact the Federal Trade Commission and the police. Don’t be another victim of a Grandparent Scam.