Guest Commentary Fraud alert: The never-ending ‘Grandparent Scam’

By LEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

I t a p p e a r s t h a t t h e r e g r e t t a b l e s u c c e s s o f t h e

“Grandparent Scam” has prompted scammers to continue their criminal assault on senior citizens

An 82-year-old New Jersey woman received a call from a person that she believed to be her grandson The caller stated “I was in a car accident. I broke my nose and split my lip ”

The phone was immediately handed to an individual claiming to be her grandson’s public defender The victim was told that her grandson was in custody, having caused the accident, and that he needed her to send $8,000 to facilitate his release

Aware of the protective nature of grandparents, the most common method generally involves a telephone call indicating that the victim’s grandchild is in some sort of trouble As in this case, the call sounds urgent and asks the victim to send money immediately in order to resolve a legal or medical issue.

On occasion, the victim may receive a text message requesting assistance

The victim is told to wire money or to buy gift cards or that someone will stop by to pick up cash

The 82-year-old rushed to the bank and withdrew the funds

“My hand was shaking when I went to get the money out of the bank My whole body was shaking ”

Shortly after she arrived home, an individual arrived at her door to pick up the cash

Reported losses have reached tens of millions of dollars annually; some of the crimes are not reported due to embarrassment

What to do should you receive such a call

Take a deep breath and avoid panicking Before taking any action, terminate the call Immediately call the family member or friend who is in trouble using the phone number that you always use to contact them If they are unavailable, contact a close family member or friend who would have knowledge of the situation

Never never wire money, buy gift cards or surrender cash!

If all efforts to verify the incident fail, contact local law enforcement for assistance.

If scammed, immediately contact your payment company and report the suspected fraud

Contact the Federal Trade Commission, as soon as possible, at https://reportfraud ftc gov/

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is a multi-faceted law e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c y p r i m a r i l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r l a w enforcement services in unincorporated Lee County, plus the city of Bonita Springs, village of Estero, and town of Fort Myers Beach Deputies have countywide jurisdiction and also provide secondary law enforcement services within the city limits of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Sanibel For more information, visit https://www sheriffleefl org/