Authorities are warning of a new "Granny scam" created by evil, deceitful crooks who pose as grandchildren to get private information and money out of senior citizens.
Some preventative measures are described below. Meanwhile, here's how the scam works:
The crook calls a senior citizen and pretends to be an official, calling on behalf of a grandchild who has been hurt and can't come to the phone. Or the brazen crook may simply pretend to be the grandchild seeking help directly.
"Grandma?" the scammer asks, waiting to see how she will respond.
"Joey?" replies grandma, trying to figure out who's calling.
That's good enough for the crook, who now poses as "Joey" to gain granny's trust. The crook tells granny that he went to Canada...
...to attend a wedding
...to the lake with friends
...for a job interview.
...or any number of other reasons.
The crook, still posing as "Joey," claims that he has...
...been in an auto accident and needs cash to get home.
...been arrested and needs bail money.
...been hospitalized and needs emergency money.
...or any hard luck story that might persuade granny to send cash.
The crook tells granny to wire money to him through Western Union. Western Union does not accept checks, so granny goes to the credit union or bank to make a withdrawal. Convinced that her grandson needs help, Granny wires the money as requested.
By the time granny catches up to Joey, the money is gone and the crook is scamming another senior citizen.
Granny is relieved to learn that Joey is safe and sound, but puzzled by his claim that he never called her for help. Or his claim that he hasn't been to Canada. Granny realizes she's been scammed, but may now live with doubts whether Joey can be trusted.
The best medicine against the granny scam is preventative:
