Age Old Granny Scam
This is an ongoing magic game, where someone will call and convince your grandmother that her grandson or daughter is locked up in jail in say, England. The only way that you can get them out of jail and back home is to send a thousand dollars by Western Union. Somehow this scam just keeps working and millions of dollars a year are sent to overseas con artists.
Here is the thing: elderly grandparents, it appears that sometimes they cannot detect that it’s not really their grandchild and they don’t always see stories like this on the Internet.
What should you do if your receive a “Granny Scam”?
- Remain Calm – Despite the emergency nature of the call try to verify the identity of the caller. Don’t get caught up in the urgency which can lead to making emotional rather than logical decisions.
- Make direct contact –Confirm the status of the individual by calling them directly or verifying the story with other family members before taking action.
- Wire transfers –Any request to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram should be seen as a “red flag” and an immediate tip-off that the call may be part of a scam.
- Report the call –If you have been victimized by this type of distressed loved one call, immediately contact your local police department and the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
So if someone calls saying that one of your loved ones is in jail take the time and call the local authorities just to make sure. Get the name of the jail from the con artist and then look them up. I promise that if you have someone in jail they won’t be going anywhere.
Once that money is gone.. it is gone for good. These scammers are pretty good at convincing the elderly to send the money.
