Grandmother Scam: How It Works
(with video below) Picture this: your 90-year old grandmother receives a phone call, which goes like this:
“Hi Grandma, it’s me!”
She tries to recognize the voice and says: “… Paul?”
“Of course! I have a big problem, Grandma.”
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I got in a bit of trouble, but please don’t tell mom.”
The “grandson” then informs the grandma that a series of unfortunate events has landed him in jail. He needs bail money. Grandma might be skeptical, since the caller might not sound exactly like Paul, but the scammer knows that. That’s why right away he passes the phone over to his “attorney” who gives Grandma details about the charges and information on how to wire the money.
Watch the video below to see in action the Grandparents scam, with audio exposed:
Grandmother Scam: How To Avoid
Let your parents and grandparents know about this scam. If anyone ever calls asking for money, instruct them to hang up the phone and call you right away. Make sure they get the phone number the scammers use to connect.
Grandmother Scam: How To Report
Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
How to protect yourself more:
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got a call from a person claiming to be our grand so who had a accident from a phone # 6315421867 ronkonakoma ny proved to be a scam
My mother was scammed out of $3900 with the Grandma Scam. She lives in KY.
What steps can she take to recover her money?
I know someone this happened to ,but fortunately checked it out first before going to credit union and found it to be a scam.The funny thing is they continued calling for several days and asked for me at her residence.I cant figure this one out.
On Wednesday May 22, 2013, mother-in-law received call from grandson (my son) who reported that he is in Haiti, had a DUI, and put his attorney, "Henry Phillips Delva" on the line. Attorney stated that he needed $8000 sent to him by Western Union to bail grandson out of jail. M-in-law was ready to go to the bank and get the money, but talked with her daughter and learned that grandson is at home. This even followed theft of grandson’s smart phone last week.