Recently, I have received several emails from friends whose elderly parents received phone calls from someone claiming to be someone of authority. They say they are calling on behalf of a grandchild who needs help.
There are several “Grandparent Scams” out there and you eldery mother or father can be victim to these often used scam.
This common scam involves unknown individuals calling older or elderly people and then pretend to be a relative of the victim, usually a grandson or granddaughter. The caller starts out the call by stating “Grandma?” or “Grandpa?” which in turn usually elicits a response from the victim citing the name of a grandson or granddaughter.
The unknown caller then feeds from this info and pretends to be that relative while reporting that he or she has been involved in some sort of criminal issue or a motor vehicle accident and requests money be sent to help the situation in the form of bail money or repairs to a car.
The money is usually wired to the scammer outside the United States and the “grandchild” requests that the victim does not contact his or her parents and does not report the situation so as to not be in trouble or avoid embarrassment. Incidents of this nature usually result in the victim losing thousands of dollars.
The scammers gets their information by checking social media and online sources to learn grandchildren’s names and sometimes their travel plans. Most cons use scare tactics to make grandparents pay quickly implying that the child is in physical peril and giving wire instructions because once the wire cash is sent you can’t get it back.
The police suggest that anyone who receives such a call should ask questions that an imposter would not be able to answer correctly, such as the date of their mother’s birthday or the city they were born in, and to call the family of the person who is allegedly seeking assistance to check on the legitimacy of the request. Any call should also be reported to officials immediately.
Anyone who may have also experienced something similar and been a victim should contact the Third Precinct at 516-573-6300 to report the scam.
