The Grandparent scam typically works something like this:<\/p>\n
You get a call from someone posing as your grandchild. The scammer explains, in a frantic voice, that he or she is in trouble: Typically, it\u2019s something like \u2026There\u2019s been an accident, or an arrest.<\/p>\n
To add to the urgency, the scammer might claim that they are stuck in a foreign country; to make the impersonation more convincing, the scammer will throw in a few family particulars that they found by looking at your or the actual grandchild\u2019s social media account.<\/p>\n
The scammer offers just enough detail about where and how the emergency happened to make it seem real and then turns the phone over to another scammer who pretends to be a police officer, doctor, or lawyer who then backs up the story.<\/p>\n
The \u201cgrandchild\u201d implores the target to wire money immediately, adding the plea: \u201cDon\u2019t tell Mom and Dad!\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandparent Scam Warning Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n Do\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Dont\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n You can report any fraud targeting older people to the FTC online<\/a> or at 877-382-4357. You might also want to notify your state’s attorney general<\/a> and consumer protection office<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Grandparent scam typically works something like this: You get a call from someone posing as your grandchild. The scammer explains, in a frantic voice, that he or she is in trouble: Typically, it\u2019s something like \u2026There\u2019s been an accident, or an arrest. To add to the urgency, the scammer might claim that they are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,34],"tags":[81,54],"class_list":{"0":"post-387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scams","8":"category-targeting-seniors","9":"tag-grandparent-scam","10":"tag-personal-information"},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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