By Bob Russo
The scam usually goes something like this: You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be your grandchild. Or perhaps the caller is claiming to be someone contacting you on your grandchild’s behalf— like a police officer, for example, who says he/she has just arrested your grandchild and is requesting bail money for his or her release.
No matter what story line the culprits employ in this “grandparent scam,” the call always ends up with the scammer asking for money.
Countless times, this scenario—in which a criminal takes advantage of a typical grandparent’s concern for a grandchild—is being perpetrated against senior citizens, and many of them are becoming victims. They choose to immediately wire the money, usually through Western Union, to anywhere in the world that the caller dictates. In other words, they’ll do whatever the caller tells them to do to help their grandchild.
Unfortunately, once money is wired internationally, it’s very hard—if not impossible—to get it back.
Earlier this year, two nurses in Ridgefield, Connecticut, prevented an elderly couple from wiring $2,800 to a scammer—a caller that pretended to be their grandson. In this iteration of the scam, the grandson was injured while on vacation in Colombia and needed money.
The caller also instructed the grandparents to not contact any other family members. Should a similar situation arise—with someone on the phone saying they’re your grandchild and asking for money—do call a member of your family immediately to corroborate what you’ve been told.
With a call like this from out of the blue, there’s a good chance something is amiss.
We understand that our customers are so much more than their savings and checking accounts with us. We hope to be your trusted advisor. So, from time to time, expect that we’ll provide updates on these kinds of scams to make sure you’re aware of them and to keep you from becoming a victim.