Grandparent Scams

Fraud is on the rise, and one of the most popular scams is the Grandparent Scam. This scam hit close to home when my step-father, who lives in Mississippi received an odd call from a man claiming to be my son. The caller had greeted him with, “Hi Grandpa, it’s Chris. I’ve been in a car accident, I’m bleeding and in jail. I need you to call my lawyer.” The caller sounded a bit like my son, but it made no sense that he would be calling his grandpa two states away for help. I checked in on my son, who was sound asleep in his bed and had not been in an accident. My step-father had been the target of a Grandparent Scam! Grandparent Scams involve an imposter posing as a grandchild who is in trouble: they’ve been in an accident, or arrested. Once they have the grandparent concerned and ready to help, they hand the phone off to another scammer posing as a police officer or lawyer who then will make arrangements to have the grandparent wire money to them.

This scam is on the rise, but you can protect yourself by following these 5 tips:

1) Set privacy settings on your social media accounts. 2) Ask questions that only your grandchild could answer. 3) Tell the caller you will call them back, then call your grandchild’s cell number. 4) Contact other family members to verify the story. 5) Trust your gut instinct. Fraud targeting older people should be reported to the FTC at 877-382-4357.