Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials urge local residents to beware of the “grandparent scam,” in which callers pretend to be grandchildren in distress and in need of fast cash.
Here’s the story from the station’s social media:
We still hear of people in SCV receiving calls from callers pretending to be their grandkids.
“I’ve been arrested,” the fake grandson says, “and need money wired quickly to pay my bail. And oh by the way, don’t tell my mom or dad because they’ll only get upset!”
This is an example of what’s come to be known as “the grandparent scam,” a fraud technique that preys on the elderly, taking advantage of the ‘weak spot’ they have for their grandkids.
Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, a crook can sometimes find personal details about your relatives, which makes the impersonations more believable.
For example, the “real” grandson may mention on Facebook that he’s a photographer, and then he may have a post about taking a vacation to Mexico. Then, when the scammer contacts the grandparents, the phony grandson will say he’s calling from Mexico, where someone stole his camera equipment and passport.
How to Beat the Grandparent Scam
The lesson: If you ever get a call from or about a grandchild or any other relative in danger or trouble, and the immediate request is for cash, you need to:
1). Resist the pressure to act quickly. Try to contact your grandchild or another family member to determine whether or not the call is legitimate.
2). Never wire money based on a request made over the phone or in an e-mail – especially overseas. Wiring money is like giving cash. Once you send it, you can’t get it back.
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4 Comments
Also dont answer texts or calls from numbers you dont recognize or from blocked numbers. If it is legitimate they will leave you a message.
Neomi Herrera
This happened to my mother in Connecticut almost 2 years ago and we don’t know how the caller knew my son’s name here in CA and linked him with my mom there, we think it was from the Obit for my dad a few years earlier. Nothing on social media tying the two of them together and my son is careful with Social Media partly thanks to my endless warnings and his own common sense.
— Too bad mom’s caregiver at the time didn’t have much common sense: she took my mom to Walmart where she was about to wire $1800 cash until the cashier stopped them.
— The caller claimed my son was in a car accident and sure enough, not to tell his parents, not to worry them.
Both of my nephew’s grandmothers got calls like this in the last 3 years!!