Whether you are a grandma or a grandpa, to stay safe from Grandma scammers, you should:
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- Be cautions about giving away information that can aid scammers
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Be careful what you post on social media sites such as Facebook. Criminals wanting to take your money are on the lookout for clues that can make their job easier. Names of family members, references to your grandchildren, updates about travel plans, and more can make it easier for scam artists in the United States and abroad to sound convincing by giving them details you would expect your grandchildren and few other people to know about. If you’re a Facebook user and want to continue posting personal information for the benefit of family and friends, be sure to control your personal privacy settings so that your personal information will not be available to the wrong people.
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- Be careful not to volunteer information over the phone
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It goes without saying that you shouldn’t give credit card or banking information to anyone you even remotely suspect may be trying to scam you. You need to be asking yourself as well: “Why would my grandson or granddaughter need my personal financial details? What kind of law enforcement agency would allow my grandchild to arrange a transfer of funds or other transaction on his or her own, over the telephone?” If a second speaker comes on the line and asks for your credit card or banking information, don’t give it. Listen to your suspicions, not to the scammer.
Test any caller who identifies himself or herself as your grandchild. Ask about birthdays, other family members (not by name), or shared experiences. Ask what elementary or high school the caller went to. If the caller identifies himself simply as your eldest grandson, respond “Billy!” even though your eldest grandson’s name is Terry or Tom. Look for signs of hesitation or confusion from the caller, and don’t offer any details that can help give the caller confidence. Too many grandparents have responded emotionally to calls from Grandma scammers, and concern for grandchildren and eagerness to help have led many grandparents to volunteer information, play into the scammers’ hands, and give away thousands of dollars those grandparents will never see again.
- Never rush to wire money as a result of getting a telephone call
I’ll say that again. NEVER. It’s hard to think of a legitimate situation that will require you to wire funds immediately, as scammers often try to get concerned grandparents to do. At times the red flags seem too obvious to miss. One Texas grandmother who received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson made a series of mistakes while overlooking certain red flags along the way. First, when the caller identified himself as her grandson, she replied, “Joey?” thus volunteering her real grandson’s name. Second, the caller confided that he was in trouble and asked that she keep the conversation between just the two of them, which she did until later. Third, the caller said he was in Canada—which was suspicious because the woman’s grandson was actually working in Iraq. Fourth, a “policeman” came on the line, explained that the grandson had been arrested for possessing marijuana, and told the concerned grandmother, “If you can send x-amount of dollars within three hours, we’ll have him out of here. If not, he’ll have to spend the weekend here in jail.”
That’s not all. Although the call was supposedly from Canada, this grandmother was told to wire $5,800 to Spain. That’s a huge red flag. Then she was instructed to wire half the money from one specific location and the other half from another. Unfortunately, this apparently level-headed grandmother’s judgment was so clouded by concern for her grandson that she overlooked a series of obvious red flags any potential scam victim should be on the lookout for. This victim was on a fixed income and, sadly, lost thousands of dollars.
Keep in mind that it is seldom necessary to wire money within the USA. Legitimate agencies normally accept checks and do not pressure people to wire a payment immediately. Also, keep in mind that money wired out of the country is virtually impossible to get back. Again, never rush to wire money simply because someone on the phone asks or tells you to.