Avoiding the Grandparent Scams

There’s a range of scams that specifically target grandparents. It’s not clear how the perpetrators find their information, but they have people’s names and numbers and the name of at least one grandchild. Then they call, pretending to be a grandchild in distress and in need of money. You can find details here, including what to do if you receive such a call.

Later, a State Department investigator explained that this dodge is called The Grandparent Scam. The gang that perpetrates it is operating all over the world.

“They move often, making it very hard to trace them,” she said.

Here is how it works: The victim’s “grandson” was stopped in a car taking him to his hotel from the airport in (name of the foreign city). The car was searched and drugs were found in the trunk. Driver and passenger(s) were arrested. Grandson said he was allowed one call (this one), but that an official of the U.S. Embassy was on hand to help and would explain the situation.