Scammers Pose as Grandchildren to Dupe Unsuspecting Grandparents
Grandparents across the country are the latest victims of Canadian con artists claiming to be their grandchildren in distress. Since the beginning of this year, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre has received nearly 350 complaints from grandparents, half of which were filed in July and August alone.
Generally, the scam is as follows – the grandparent receives a call that begins, “Hi. This is your favorite (grandson or granddaughter).” The caller then waits for the grandparent to respond using the name of an actual grandchild.
The caller then explains that they are traveling in Canada and have been arrested or involved in an auto accident and need the grandparent to wire money to post bail or pay for damages—usually amounting to a few thousand dollars. While many seniors have reported the scam without falling prey to it, unfortunately, many others have been victimized. One well-meaning grandmother sent $15,000 to scammers, thinking she was helping a grandchild who had been in an auto accident.
Law enforcement officials are not certain how perpetrators are obtaining phone numbers for so many senior citizens across the U.S. It is believed that scammers are most likely calling random numbers until they happen to reach a senior citizen who has a grandchild.
“If they get 1 in 1,000 of us to fall for it, that’s a pretty good day’s work,” said one northern California victim. “My advice to my fellow grandparents is to not let your heart overcome your good sense.”
“This scam targets loving grandparents, and it is tragic that they have to be skeptical of calls from people alleging to be part of their family,” said BBB President Barry Goggin.
The BBB is advising seniors to confirm the status of the individual by calling them directly or verifying the story with other family members before taking any further action. Never wire money or divulge personal information.
The BBB advises victims to report the incident immediately to local police and state Attorneys General offices. If there is a request to wire money to Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre advises to call the PhoneBusters hotline toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or visit www.phonebusters.com.