Impostor Grandchildren Scam the Elderly for Big Bucks 'Grandparent Scams' Are Among the Impostor Sca

[Hestia]

Impostor Grandchildren Scam the Elderly for Big Bucks
'Grandparent Scams' Are Among the Impostor Scams That Generated 60,000 Complaints Last Year

A growing number of scam artists who target senior citizens have stolen thousands of dollars from victims in what is known as the "grandparent scam," officials say.

The con is within a category of "impostor scams" for which there were 60,000 complaints last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And officials have urged the public to report the scams to law enforcement.

Jim and his wife of Wilmington, N.C., for example, received a call last month from a man saying he was their grandson.

The man said he had been in a car accident while traveling in the Dominican Republic. After explaining his injuries and that he badly needed money to get out of jail and return to the United States, the man begged Jim, 78, not to tell his "parents" and blamed his voice change on the accident.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/grandparent-scams-impostors-dupe-elderly-pretending-grandchildren/story?id=13240557&page=1


They troll obits and then try to find your grandparents via Facebook.

[JDPriestly]

1. Somebody called me on such a scam.

I didn't realize it was a scam, so I was very kind and told this guy (who sounded as old as I am) that he must have gotten a wrong number because I don't have a grandson. Since that time, I have become grandmother to a wonderful baby boy -- who is far too young to be driving or to get stranded in Canada someplace.

So, if anyone calls, ask the person for his cell number so you can call him back. Then check on your grandkids and if they are OK, call the police with the number.

My aunt, as an 80-something-year-old, helped the police catch a gang that tried to hoodwink the elderly with home repair scams. They told her that she needed work done. She knew they had caused the problem so that they could charge her to repair. (I have forgotten how she knew, but she was a very smart woman even in her 80s.) They told her that she needed to go the bank and take out money to pay for it. I think they took her to the bank. In the bank, she alerted the staff about what was going on. Somehow the police caught the swindlers.

I was quite amazed since my aunt was very shy most of her life, but very brilliant. Goes to show you what one lonely old woman can accomplish if she has courage.

[Hestia]

2. What a wonderful woman! I wonder if she turned in Traveler's? There is a whole

colony here. I work in a gerontology clinic and the difference in aging is remarkable, but as I told my supervisor, I do not want to get old. Some people are barely there in their late 60s, others are remarkable into their 90s. It always seems to be the women who are using walkers and wheelchairs.

[hunter]

3. I think many men would rather die than use a walker or wheelchair.

And they do.

Giving up and staying in bed is hazardous to one's health.

[Fire1]

4. I think it's because women throw in the towel too easily.

As far as I can tell age is a state of mind.