A grandmother's love...

Across the nation, con artists are scamming grandparents out of thousands of dollars by posing as grandchildren in distress.  In one instance, Michigan, grandparents were taken for $33,000.  They wire transferred $3,000 to someone they thought was their grandson after he called and claimed he was caught fishing without a license in Canada and needed to pay a $3,000 fine.  They were taken for an additional $30,000 after the supposed grandson called again to say that alcohol and drugs were found when his boat was searched, and he needed $30,000 to post bond to get out of a Canadian jail.

how the scam works  

A grandparent receives a frantic call from someone they believe to be their grandchild.   The supposed grandchild sounds distressed and may be calling from a noisy location.  The supposed grandchild claims to be involved in some type of trouble while traveling, such as being arrested or in a car accident or needing emergency car repairs, and asks the grandparent to immediately wire money to post bail or pay for medical treatment or car repairs.   The scammer typically asks for several thousand dollars, and may even call back again several hours or days later asking for more money.  He or she may claim embarrassment about the alleged trouble and ask the grandparent to keep it a secret.

A variation of the scam may involve two scammers -- the first scammer calls and poses as a grandchild under arrest.  The second scammer, posing as some type of law enforcement officer, then gets on the phone with the grandparent and explains what fines need to be paid.  Alternatively, the scammer may pretend to be a family friend or neighbor. 

A common theme of the scam across the nation is the caller's request for the grandparent to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram or to provide bank account routing numbers.  Wiring money is like sending cash; there are no protections for the sender.  Typically there is no way you can reverse the transaction, trace the money, or recover payment from the telephone con artists.

These types of scams occur often, and Greenville Police have recently received reports from victims of this type of scam. 

Be suspicious when you receive a telephone call where:

• A grandchild calls you from a far away location.
• The grandchild says, "It's me," or "It's your grandson," or "It's your favorite grandchild."
• The grandchild is in some trouble or some type of distress.
• The caller asks for money to be wire transferred

If you receive such a call, you should verify the identity and location of the grandchild claiming to be in trouble.  You should hang up and call another family member who can confirm your grandchild's whereabouts.  Try calling your grandchild at the telephone number through which you normally reach him or her.  Stay calm and avoid acting out of a sense of urgency.  Do not wire money unless you have verified with an independent third party that your grandchild is truly in trouble.