Our family and friends who are 60+ are undeniably a primary target for scammers. Besides being more trusting, they tend to be less tech-savvy and have more resources that a scammer wants to access.
“Americans over the age of 60 lost $1.7 billion to fraud in 2020 — the highest loss amount reported out of any age group.” (Source: FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report)
The Grandparent Scam
A scammer will contact someone with a grandchild. Then the grandparent is told their grandchild was in an accident and are fine. But there’s been a mix-up! The grandchild is in jail and needs bail money sent right away. The scammer will even offer to put the grandchild on the phone for a brief conversation with you. And it’s incredible how easily our brain can trick us to thinking the person sounds like our grandchild!
How to Avoid the Grandparent Scam
- Pause. Scammers make it sound extremely urgent that you act immediately.
- Ask. Ask the caller/texter for their name, their phone number, and a physical address. If they will not give this to you, ignore them. In an actual emergency, the caller will provide this information.
- Hang up. Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and remember that there may be no emergency with your loved one!
- Call. Do not call the number they provided; instead, look up the phone number for the police station they referenced and call the station directly. Tell them your situation. If the story is real, they will confirm this for you or give you information on how to confirm.
Of course there are numerous variations of this scam, but the process you should follow to protect yourself is much the same. If you are contacted by someone you do not know and the person makes it difficult or impossible to confirm what they’re telling you… it’s a scam!
Although scamming cases are at an all-time high, we want to help you avoid scams! Protect yourself, your resources, and your identity!
Report fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
