Grandparent scam

[SamuraiCO]

Google it and understand it. My mom just got hit for $3000. Since her grandkids are all young the scammers convinced her I was in trouble and in jail in Canada My "lawyer" convinced her he could take care of everything too keep it quiet. They also got someone on the phone who convinced her it was me, crying a lot etc. Stressed to not call other family members too help keep it quiet even though my brother and his wife live near by, their daughter is a local police officer and two cousins who could have helped verify I was ok.

The thing that stopped the process is her bank would not let her have any money from her savings that I jointly control with her. Her checking account was drained when she got green dot credit cards from multiple locations. At that point she called my bro and between the bank emoloyees and my bro convinced her it was a scam.

I am so greatful nothing happened to her as she was frantically driving around getting the credit cards. The money can be replaced and she has plenty in her savings. I think she like many of our parents are fiercely independent and don't want to admit when it is time for more control.

Lessons learned. Should have changed her phone number years ago and unlisted it. Let her know under no circumstances is she needing to keep the property for anyone in the family. Remind her that her three boys she has raised have all done well and am not needing financial assistance in any way. Probably time to seriously discuss living options other that by her self in the country. The home could always be rented for extra income and she could live closer in town with more people her own age.

[SideShow Bob]

Yep, this has been going on for awhile. Too bad your parents got hit.
To all of you with aging parents, please talk with them to be aware of this and not to be suckered in. Tell them not to send money for you or your siblings.
If there is a dire need for money, someone they know will see them face to face.

[TheGrey]

Thanks for the reminder! My parents were hit with a scammer a couple of years ago, and it's time to remind them of this scheme. I'm sorry your mom went through that- people that put parents through stress like that with scams need to have fire ants shoved into every orifice.

[sniper7]

Sorry to hear about this. Scammers need to be slapped in the face with a brick.

[newracer]

Someone tried this with my grandfather a few years ago. Luckily he called me and my wife directly to see if it was true.

[spqrzilla]

I once took a phone call from someone who was scammed by this kind of scam (Mexico instead of Canada ... but otherwise identical). Woman did not have any grandchildren and still fell for it.

After all, maybe she had a grand child she hadn't heard about.

[OneGuy67]

I see this scam at least once a week. The elderly are targeted specifically because they will not ask for assistance, due to a fear of being labeled as old and unable to take care of themselves. My mother being a prime example at 71 and not wanting to admit she would need anything that would have people believe she no longer can take care of herself. That fear of no longer being independent.

Tell everyone you know, if anyone asks for a green dot card for any reason, run away.

[cstone]

Older computer users are particularly vulnerable to many scams. Remind your parents of the Regan phrase; "Trust but verify." If a message pops up on your computer screen telling you that your computer is vulnerable or has possibly been compromised, and you should call this number. Perhaps you would want to ask yourself. if my computer is compromised, why would I call a telephone number being given to me by the compromised computer?


Ask for the caller's identity, call back number, and location where they are calling from. If they hesitate to provide any of that information; hang up. If they provide that information, Google is your friend. You can look up the (non-emergency) telephone number for the police department in the area where they say they are calling from. If the caller is pretending to be someone you know and you have the person's actual contact information, try the information you know is legitimate to confirm or disprove the caller's assertions.

Last, contact someone, or post somewhere on the Internet, as much information as you can about the scam caller. Things like the number called from, accent or background noise for the caller, the general synopsis of the caller's scam... This is something the can be used by future targets to verify that someone is trying to scam them. If you are so inclined, you can contact the State's Attorney Generals office for your state, the local police or the National White Collar Crime Center. The NW3C keeps a database of these types of scams and they work with local, state, and federal agencies to target and track scammers.

Be safe.

[wctriumph]

About 6 or 7 years ago a scammer called my parents with a similar line, said he was a bail bondsman, that I had been in an accident and that I was going to jail, needed $5000 in cash as collateral for my bail. My dad laughed and told the guy that if I was going to jail, I probably deserved to be there and he would not have any part of it. My mom called me after they hung up and of course, I was not in an accident and I was not going to jail.

My dad told me and my brother when we were teenagers that if we ever got arrested not to call him, he would not bail us out. My parents have since both passed on so no worries there anymore and my wife and daughter know better.

[Limited GM]

Scammers have called my Mom three times with the OP scam. They knew names and a whole LOT of info that you have to wonder where they got. My Moms no fool and she said "ask Evan what he calls me?" They said Grandmother, she said "wrong answer bucko,"

i could give 10 mm headaches all day long to those who pray on the elderly. Makes my blood boil.