GA - Beware the "grandparent scam", Macon

Backwoods · Nov 29, 2013

Similar items have been posted before, I know -- but apparently this scam is still around:

Macon woman victim of grandparent scam

...The agency encourages people to resist pressure to act quickly, to try to contact a family member to determine whether the call is legitimate and to never wire money based on a request made over the phone or email.

Emmett said social media often is an important component in making the grandparent scam work. The more details scammers have about potential victims, the easier it is for them to impersonate a loved one.

Theres a lot of public information on Facebook, Emmett said.

Price, for instance, does not know how her scammer targeted her or how she knew that her granddaughter lives in Clearwater.

The FBI has been aware of the grandparent scam since 2008, according to an agency news release. The FBI constantly is trying to adapt to new scams and technology and alert the public. One example is the use of voiceover Internet protocol technology that allows scammers to appear on caller IDs with whatever area code they desire. ...

more at: http://www.macon.com/2013/11/28/2803488/macon-woman-victim-of-grandparent.html

Marg from Oz · Nov 29, 2013

What will these scammers think of next. Here in Australia I keep getting phone calls telling me I have been overtaxed but to get the money back from the government I have to send money via Western Union for processing. Then there are ones who tell you your computer has viruses and they want you to sit at your computer and they will direct you through getting rid of the virus. A number of times I have been informed I have won $1000.00 worth of groceries and again only have to pay a processing fee via western union . All of these scammers are off shore. Using call centres in India, Philippines . If I have to send money overseas there is no way I will ever use western Union.

:stormingmad:

DEPUTYDAWG · Nov 30, 2013

Thank you for posting that.

I took an intake call from a grandfather that was duped this past week. He had no idea this was a common scam. He was in a small rural town in Central Texas. It was only after they sent the money that he or his wife thought to call the grandson to see if he was okay.

The grandson was just fine.

Grandfather was out $1350.

He wanted us (a federal agency) to notify the local community. I told him one of the local agencies had had an article in the local newspaper about a month ago, and he hadn't seen it or heard of this scam. At the end of the call, he said he was "a little" relieved to know he wasn't the only one falling for it, and also that it wasn't someone close to them that had done it.

Just let your family members know about these scams, it's the best defense.

jjenny · Nov 30, 2013

Not just grandparents. Grandparents fall for it because the mind is not as sharp as it used to be. But they target anyone, even myself have been targeted asking for money claiming to be someone I know.

GA - Beware the "grandparent scam", Macon

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