12 Days of Scams Day 3: A new twist on the old grandparent scam

“Grandma, something bad has happened, and I need your help right now!” is often the start of a scam phone call. No grandchild’s name is included for her to identify, so Grandma often fills in the blanks, “Tommy, is that you?” (If Grandpa answers, the spiel quickly switches to a plea to him.)

The reason for the emergency assistance will often be sketchy and playing on emotions is also how it works. It is frequently “I am in jail” or “I was in a car accident.” The scammer often requests that Grandma not notify the parents, playing on her loyalty. “What more natural alliance is there than that between a grandparent and grandchild?” says AARP WV President Rich Stonestreet.

The help requested is often money from gift cards Grandma is to purchase at a specified store or a wire transfer to a specified company. The amount is usually in the hundreds of dollars, and Grandma is convinced it’s a legitimate call.

But it’s not, so be careful when answering any phone call. If you hear such a plea from the caller, stay calm and get suspicious immediately!

More details are available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0204-family-emergency-scams.

Interestingly, robocallers don’t leave this type of message for Grandma or Grandpa, so pre-screening calls through letting the call go to voicemail can avoid such a scam and make a lot of sense.

The new twist is that 25% of victims of family imposter fraud victims who reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2018 were asked to send cash rather than gift cards.