Omaha woman loses $35K in new rash of 'grandparent scam'

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20140127/NEWS/140128886/1685#omaha-woman-loses-35k-in-new-rash-of-grandparent-scam

By Tammy Bain PUBLISHED MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 AT 1:30 AM

The phone call sounded dire.

A 93-year-old woman's grand­son was on the line, saying it was an emergency and that he needed cash.

Fast.

On the same call, the woman spoke with a police officer.

FULL story at link.

[Stargazer09]

1. That's really sad

I really hate people who do that.

[dipsydoodle]

2. That is disgusting.

Such pieces of shite deserve to spend the rest of their life behind bars as a deterrent to others.

[pipi_k]

3. Seriously, anyone with elderly relatives

who don't suffer from dementia or something similar needs to talk to them about the possibility of being scammed by something like this.

First thing is to figure some way to know whether the caller is really who s/he says s/he is.


Maybe have the caller answer a question whose answer only a true family member would know.

Or tell the "grandchild" to call back in 20 minutes while Grandma arranges to get the money, except Grandma is really calling the grandchild or the grandchild's parents to make sure s/he is OK.


There are lots of scumbags out there, but the ones who prey on the elderly are the worst, IMO.

[REP]

4. That's horrible, but I kind of hope someone tries that on my mother

Because that would be hilarious. My mother loves fucking with scammers (and she has no grandchildren).

[pipi_k]

5. Is this your mom

by any chance?


I love what Ruth O'Leary did to that scammer!!!


http://kfor.com/2013/09/05/elderly-woman-turns-the-tables-on-a-would-be-phone-scammer/

[seveneyes]

6. The bigger question

Why the hell our government won't get serious and come down hard on these and other scammers? Card services, windows bullshit and all the other outright scams.