Greg's Corner

Terrifying twist on scam that targets the elderly

We’ve talked about the grandparent scam before. In it, scammers target the elderly and pose as grandchildren or some other younger relative that claims to be in trouble. Usually, the scammer will try to coerce the elderly victim into making a payment by gift cards or money transfer that is supposed to be for bail, a medical expense, or some other emergency situation. Previously, if someone was taken in one of these scams the only thing they’d have to worry about is losing money. Now, one report is stating that a new frightening wrinkle has been added to the scam.

A consumer reporter for the New York Post is stating that he has received reports of the scammers coming to people’s doors to collect cash instead of gift cards or wire transfers. The scammers are posing as some kind of collection agents for the scams. In some cases, the people who are instructed to pick up the money don’t even know e=why they’re picking up money from the victims. It’s not just New York City where this is happening either. The scam has reached across the country to the Los Angeles area.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cP1MRWlQQ0%5D

If the scam is happening on both coasts then it can happen anywhere in between. If you receive one of these phone calls, don’t make any kind of payment or arrangement until you speak with a relative who can verify the location of the person in question. You could also ask the caller a question that only that person would know. You should also contact your local police as well so they can try to prevent other people from falling victim to the scam.