New Scam Targets Your Grandparents
Callers pose as grandchildren stuck in jail
By JOEL GROVER and MATT GOLDBERG
Updated 9:47 AM PDT, Wed, Nov 25, 2009
It's a scam that sounds so unbelievable you wouldn't think anyone would fall for it. But many older people across California have been tricked by what police call "The Grandma Scam," and they've lost thousands of dollars.
It happened to Naomi, a smart successful business owner from the LA area, who is a grandmother.
"I am going to get the word out, so this does not happen to anyone else," says Naomi.
One morning in early November, her phone rang.
"I said, 'Who is it?' He said, 'It's your grandson,'" Naomi recalls.
A man, posing as her 24-year-old grandson, said he was in jail in Canada, and he needed her to wire bail money to a Canadian lawyer immediately.
"He said, 'They will not let me return to the United States until I pay the money,'" Naomi said.
So Naomi went right over to the Western Union counter at her local supermarket, and wired more than $1,000 to Canada.
"The question I always get is, 'Didn't you recognize your grandson's voice?' No, because I have a hearing problem," Naomi said.
In fact, senior citizens have fallen for "The Grandma Scam" across the country.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other police agencies have put out warnings to seniors to beware of scammers who call, posing as their grandchildren, asking for money to be wired.
Authorities suggest you explain this type of scam to all your relatives who are seniors, and tell them to hang up if they receive a call like this.
Naomi has advice for other would-be victims who might get a call from a phony grandchild:
"Ask a lot of questions, ask the middle name, ask their parents' name. These are all things I should have done."
First Published: Nov 24, 2009 5:35 PM PDT
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