A reader writes in suggesting people be alert to phone scams that target seniors this time of year.
In a recent scenario, a person calls posing as grandchild in some sort of trouble, or hurt and needs money sent right away. He doesn’t want to have the parents called because would ‘get in trouble.” The Grandparentis upset and worried sick about the kid and goes along with it, getting cash from bank and buys a Moneygram, and then calls the scammer with the codes on back.
“Someone I know unfortunately fell for this,” she writes, “and has lost $2500. Maybe readers could establish a secret password among family members as a check against this sort of thing.”
This isn’t the first time we have heard about this sort of thing in the area, so be forewarned…
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photo: Truelink
While anyone can become a victim to phone scams, it’s terrible that seniors appear to be the favorite target. That is why it’s important that we educate our grandparents about these schemes. We can visit consumer complaint websites such as Callercenter.com and get updates on the most recent phone scams and share it to them. We can also teach them how to handle suspicious calls and where to report them. It’s only through vigilance that we can save them from going through a terrible experience.