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  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: grandparent scam, , , ,   

    Are scammers putting rideshare drivers in danger? 

    By Greg Collier

    More and more scammers are using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to be unwitting participants in their scams. This is largely seen with the grandparent scam, where the scammers use the rideshare services as couriers when collecting the money from their victims. To be clear, the rideshare drivers are almost always never aware that they’re being used in such a scam. However, a recent scam where a rideshare was involved made us realize what kind of danger scammers are putting the drivers in.

    The grandparent scam is a common scam that targets older individuals by preying on their emotions. Scammers will call and pretend to be a grandchild or another family member who is in trouble and needs money urgently. They may claim to be in jail, stuck in a foreign country, or in some other kind of distress. The scammer will ask the grandparent to send money via wire transfer, gift cards, or other untraceable methods, and will often urge the grandparent not to tell anyone else in the family.

    A grandmother from the Boston area almost fell victim to the scam but was still placed in a dangerous situation. While at the bank withdrawing $9000 to send to the scammers, a bank teller became suspicious, and was able to prevent the grandmother from losing any money. However, the grandmother was driven to the bank by a white van and the van didn’t stick around as the grandmother was in the bank.

    Initially, police believed the driver of the van had some kind of involvement in the scam. The driver was described as an older man. It was later determined by police that the man worked for a rideshare service, but was hired by the scammers. While no report we read said how police approached the man, if the driver was stopped on the street and made one inadvertent false move, this story could have had a much more tragic ending. Then the scammers would have been responsible for a much more heinous crime while potentially avoiding prosecution.

    We don’t know if rideshare drivers are educated to be on the lookout for potential scam victims, but they should be. Whether picking up a passenger or delivering a suspicious parcel, maybe drivers should start asking questions. We would think that a grandmother getting a ride to their bank might be a red flag.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam, ,   

    Roaming Scammers: Fraudsters on the Move 

    By Greg Collier

    When we think of scammers, we tend to think of the stereotypical scammer from overseas. While there is some truth in that stereotype, America has its fair share of scammers, and they might be on their way to where you live.

    While the majority of scams can be done remotely, there are some that require a more personal touch by the scammers. The grandparent scam is one of those scams. The grandparent scam is a common tactic used by fraudsters to trick elderly individuals into paying a large sum of money. The scammer pretends to be the victim’s grandchild, who is supposedly in legal trouble, often due to a fabricated car accident. To convince the victim to pay, the scammer may also impersonate a police officer or a lawyer. The end goal of this scam remains the same, which is to trick the victim into paying the scammer a large amount of money.

    For the grandparent scam to be successful, the scammer must be able to mimic the voice of the victim’s grandchild on the phone. This is why this type of scam is not typically carried out by scammers operating from overseas. To collect the money quickly, the scammer must be in the same geographical location as the victim. As a result, grandparent scammers often travel around the country in search of new, unsuspecting victims. This mobility also allows them to quickly move on to another area once they have either made enough money or if the authorities start to investigate.

    Three scammers from New York City had a run-in with the law during their trip to Syracuse, New York. Despite the long drive, the trio rented an Airbnb as they targeted their unsuspecting victims. The scammers were reported to have successfully conned an elderly couple out of $9500 before making two more attempts to extract more money. On their fourth call, they were caught red-handed as the police listened in on the line. Despite their brief stay in Syracuse, the trio of scammers were able to deceive their victims out of a staggering $24,000. Had they been able to move on undetected, it is uncertain how many more individuals would have fallen prey to their deceitful schemes.

    To safeguard yourself from the grandparent scam, it’s crucial to approach unexpected phone calls or emails from people claiming to be a grandchild in distress with skepticism. Never disclose personal information or money until you have verified the identity of the caller. To confirm their identity, try asking questions that only your real grandchild would know the answer to. Another precautionary measure is to establish a code word with your grandchildren to use in such situations. If you suspect a call or email to be fraudulent, don’t hesitate to report it to the authorities.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam, , ,   

    What role do rideshares play in the grandparent scam? 

    By Greg Collier

    When we first started seeing reports of the grandparent scam, the scammers would have their victims make payments through methods like sending cash in the mail, or gift cards. When people started catching on to the scam, the scammers themselves would pose as couriers to pick up the money themselves. In a risky move, the scammers would go to the victims’ homes to pick up the money. This has resulted in multiple arrests of scammers. This has caused scammers to adjust their methods once again to start using unwitting participants in their scam, rideshare drivers.

    As always, for first time readers, we like to educate them about what the scam entails. The grandparent scam is a pretty malevolent scam. The scammers mostly target the elderly with this scam, hence the name. They’ll call their elderly victims on the phone and pose as one of the victim’s grandchildren, a police officer, or an attorney. The victim will be told their grandchild is in some kind of legal trouble, usually a car accident, and they need money for bail. The scammers will also tell their victims they can’t tell anyone else in the family, either out of embarrassment or threat of legal action. Victims of the grandparent scam typically lose thousands of dollars to the scammers.

    But getting back to the topic at hand, grandparent scammers have increased their use of rideshare drivers as couriers. Recently, in Southern Florida, police in Port St. Lucie have encountered a number of victims of the scam who have lost a total of almost $100,000. In each case, an Uber was sent to their home to pick up the money.

    To be clear, the Uber drivers had no idea what they were delivering. Outside of rideshares, Uber also offers a same day local parcel delivery service. Unfortunately, the drivers weren’t delivering the victim’s money to a residence or business. Instead, they were delivered to someone standing on a street corner in Fort Lauderdale. So far, no arrests have been made.

    So, does Uber bear any responsibility in these scams? That’s debatable, it seems. It does seem a little sketchy that they would deliver a package to someone on the streets. A service like that could be used for all manner of illegal activity. That could put the drivers in more danger as well. Ultimately, Uber isn’t in the business of looking out for scammers, which leaves it up to prospective victims to protect themselves.

    To avoid falling victim to the grandparent scam, it’s important to be skeptical of unexpected phone calls or emails from people claiming to be a grandchild in distress. Don’t give out personal information or money without verifying the identity of the caller. If you are unsure if the person is truly a grandchild, ask them questions that only your real grandchild would know the answer to. Additionally, consider setting up a code word with your grandchildren to confirm their identity before providing any information or assistance. Lastly, if you do receive a suspicious call or email, please report it to the appropriate authorities.

    Related Video: Police in Port St. Lucie warn of ‘Grandparent Scam’

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 23, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , grandparent scam, ,   

    Scam victim gets money back in time for Christmas 

    By Greg Collier

    Due to the subject material we largely deal with at this blog, we don’t have many stories with happy endings. However, thanks to the season and law enforcement, we have a happy ending to bring you today just in time for the holiday weekend.

    Earlier this year, A Nebraska grandmother lost over $50,000 to the grandparent scam. For any new readers who might be joining us, the grandparent scam is where scammers target the elderly is a scam where the scammers pose as one of the victim’s grandchildren. In this case, the scammers told the grandmother that her grandson was involved in a car crash and needed the $50,000 for bail.

    The grandmother was instructed to send the supposed bail money in cash through the mail and a courier service like UPS or FedEx. As we have previously mentioned, no law enforcement agency or legitimate business will have you send cash through mail or overnight delivery.

    Apparently, one of the boxes of cash sent through the mail was sent to Massachusetts, as the grandmother recently received $25,000 back from the Boston Police Department. Thankfully, the payment was made by check. The family of the victim was also able to recover $4000 sent through the courier service. The remaining money has yet to be recovered.

    How is this a happy ending, you may ask? Most scam victims never get anything back. Too many elderly scam victims have lost everything due to scams. To recover over 50% of the money lost is a win in our book.

    This grandmother should also be thanked, as many victims of not just the grandparent scam are afraid to come forward due to embarrassment. That is their right, however, thanks to the victims that come forward, we can learn more about the scams and how to prevent them in the future.

    If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a relative, and they need money for bail or some other dire emergency, ask them a question only that person would know. Or you can also set up a code word with your family only to be used in emergencies. Lastly, call someone to verify the caller’s story. A scammer will tell you not to tell anyone else, but that’s a trick to keep anyone else in the victim’s family from finding out about the scam. Scammers will also try to keep you on the phone, so you can’t talk to anyone else in your family. Hang up and verify their story. No grandchild ever got extra jail time for their grandparents hanging up on them.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , grandparent scam, , , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Black Friday warning and more 

    Scam Round Up: Black Friday warning and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week in the Scam Round Up, we’re bringing you a reminder of an old scam, a new twist on a persistent scam, and a warning about this year’s holiday shopping season.

    ***

    The grandparent scam is still out there and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s becoming almost as common as the arrest warrant scam, which we’ll get to shortly.

    An elderly Florida woman recently lost $16,000 to the grandparent scam. A scammer called her, posing as one of her grandsons, and claimed he needed $50,000 for bail because of a car accident he was in. This scammer hit all the beats, saying he hit a pregnant woman with his car and not to tell anyone else in the family. The victim sent the scammers $16,000, which was all she had in savings. Her family found out when the victim started asking her friends how she could get more money.

    If you have an elderly relative, please let them know about this scam. If you receive a call like this, don’t say the grandchild’s name. This lets scammers know they have a potential victim on the phone. Ask the caller a question that only that person would know, to see if they are who they say they are.

    ***

    As we have said on multiple occasions, the arrest warrant scam is probably the most common scam in America. It’s at least the most reported one. Not a day goes by where we don’t see a report from some police department or sheriff’s office warning their residents of this scam.

    Typically, scammers call their victim posing as police while telling their victims they have an arrest warrant out for them. In most cases, the scammers will say the arrest warrant is for missing jury duty.

    More recently, residents of a Chicago suburb started receiving voice mails stating they had arrest warrants. They were then instructed to call a number that did not belong to their local police department.

    It’s unknown what happens when the fake police phone number is called, but all arrest warrant scams are designed to scare the victim into making some kind of payment that will make the warrant magically go away.

    No law enforcement office or agency will ever call you to demand a payment over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and call your local police at their non-emergency number.

    ***

    With Black Friday being this week, scammers will be out in droves trying to separate you from your money. This year, the Better Business Bureau is saying that the scammers will be more inclined to pose as a delivery company like UPS or FedEx than posing as a retailer like Amazon or Apple.

    This means scammers will be sending out texts and emails claiming you missed a delivery, or they need additional information to make the delivery. These messages will contain a link for you to click on. If you click on the link, you could be taken to a phony site that looks like the legitimate one from that delivery service. You’ll then be asked to input your personal information. Sometimes, you’ll be asked for your financial information for a redelivery fee, which isn’t a real thing. The phony website could also inject malware into your device, stealing even more information.

    As always, do not click on links in text messages and emails from people you don’t know personally. If you think there’s a problem with your delivery, go to the retailer’s website, and they’ll have the tracking information.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , grandparent scam,   

    Dangerous scam continues to target seniors 

    Dangerous scam continues to target seniors

    By Greg Collier

    If recent news reports are anything to go by, more and more scammers are resorting to the grandparent scam. It seems like every day, there is a news report from a police department or sheriff’s office warning their residents about this scam. Usually, after someone has already fallen victim to the scam. It’s becoming such a common occurrence that the scammers have almost perfected the scam and have any answer the victim might have about the scam.

    For example, an elderly woman from New Jersey was having trouble getting in touch with her grandson. Before she could get a hold of him, scammers called her, posing as her grandson. The phony grandson said he was in trouble and had a broken nose and split lip. Scammers will say their face is injured to explain why they don’t sound like the actual grandchild.

    The phony grandson told the woman that he was in jail because he was involved in a car accident with a woman who was eight-months pregnant. This is often told to victims to make the situation appear more serious and appeals to the victim’s emotions, hoping that the victim thinks less clearly.

    The woman offered to call the grandson’s father, but the scammer begged her not to, with the only explanation being “I’ll explain later”. Scammers do this to isolate the victim from contacting anyone else, which would potentially tip the victim off to this being a scam.

    The woman was instructed to call a phone number which was supposed to be a public defender’s office. This was just another part of the scam. She was told she needed to pay $8000 in cash to bail out her grandson. She offered to pay with a credit card, but was instructed it had to be cash. Grandparent scammers usually ask for cash, since there will be no paper trail once the money has been handed over.

    She was also told that these proceedings were under a gag order, and she could not tell anyone about them. Again, this is done to isolate the victim. Gag orders do not work in this way and are usually given to the participants of a trial.

    She went to her bank and got the $8000 and was told to put it in a shoebox full of magazines. We imagine this is done in an attempt to hide the money from police in case the scammer is pulled over, but any cop worth their salt would find the money fairly quickly.

    Then someone posing as a courier came to her house, claimed the box and drove off. Local police are now searching for the supposed courier.

    Two hours after this all happened, her actual grandson called her and told her he had not been in jail.

    One of the best ways to protect yourself from this scam is to ask the ‘grandchild’ only something they would know. When confronted with questions like this, scammers tend to hang up. You can also hang up from the phone call and try to call the person who has been supposedly arrested. No one ever got more jail time from being hung up on. Lastly, you can also call the police department that supposedly arrested them. They’ll be more than happy to assist you and will let you know if you’re being scammed.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 21, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: grandparent scam, , pizza delivery, ,   

    Scammer stalks victim through pizza delivery 

    Scammer stalks victim through pizza delivery

    By Greg Collier

    Two of the many things we try to hammer home about scammers is they will stoop to any length to scam someone, and once they find a victim, they’ll try to scam them again. We’ve seen scammers show up at funerals pretending to collect money for the deceased. We’ve also seen scammers pose as the families of crime victims, so they can open a GoFundMe account to attempt to garner donations. In other scams, we’ve seen scammers that repeatedly set out to fleece the same victim after they were successfully scammed. Today’s story has a little bit of both of those aspects of scams within it.

    An elderly man had been scammed for thousands of dollars. While there aren’t details on what scam it was, there’s enough evidence to suggest it was the grandparent scam. The local sheriff’s office tried to help the man from being scammed again. They suggested he turn off his cell phone, and the man also changed his landline phone number.

    The scammer had so much information about the man that the scammer knew the pizza parlor the man liked to order from. The scammer then had a pizza delivered to the man’s home. The scammer also had a note included with the pizza asking the man to call his ‘grandson’ with the scammer’s phone number attached.

    In this South Carolina county alone, over $1.3 million has been lost to scams in the past year. That amount is probably even more if you consider the losses that weren’t reported. According to the sheriff’s office, arrests are few and far between, and it becomes more a plan of defense rather than one of apprehension. They also say that the best way to prevent yourself from becoming the victim of a scam is time. Essentially, don’t give out any money or information without taking some time to assess the situation first.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , grandparent scam, , , , , , , t-shirt scam,   

    Scam Round Up: New Social Security scam and more 

    Scam Round Up: New Social Security scam and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week in the Scam Round Up, we’re bringing you a story with a happy ending, for once, and a whole bunch of scams.

    ***

    Our happy ending story is one that starts out with a Philadelphia-area man who fell for the grandparent scam. He was led to believe his son was in jail on a DUI and needed $25,000 for bail. The scammers enlisted the service of a Lyft driver who was supposed to take the $25,000 to the scammers. The driver felt like something was up and tried to confirm the identity of the so-called attorney who was supposed to get the money. When the attorney wouldn’t provide identification to the Lyft driver, the driver took the money to police, who were able to return the money to the victim.

    Please keep in mind, if someone says they’re sending a rideshare or courier to your home to pick up money for some kind of emergency, the odds are pretty good they’re trying to scam you. If a relative or loved one claims to be in jail, attempt to contact them first before sending any money. More than likely, you’ll find out they’re ok.

    ***

    Just because Amazon’s Prime Day is over, that doesn’t mean Amazon scams will stop. A sheriff’s office just outside of Richmond, Virginia, is warning residents about an Amazon phone scam taking place there. In this scam, the victims receive a call from someone claiming to be with Amazon. The caller will say there are suspicious charges on the victim’s account. They’ll then say they’re connecting you with police. Except, everyone on the call is a scammer trying to get your financial information.

    Amazon rarely calls their customers, even if there are fraudulent charges. If you receive a phone call like this, hang up, then check your Amazon account to make sure there are no fraudulent charges on the account.

    ***

    An old used car scam is making a reappearance, or maybe it never went away. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about used cars for sale that the seller claims is being stored out of state. The scammers will claim that you need to pay a transport company with either gift cards or a money transfer. Often, the scammers will claim that eBay is shipping the vehicle. While eBay does have a used car marketplace, they do not do any shipping of vehicles. And as usual, gift cards should only be used as gifts, and money transfers should never be sent to people you don’t know personally.

    ***

    One scam that has been popping up all over the country is the police T-shirt scam. From coast to coast, residents have been receiving text messages that claim to be selling T-shirts for their local police department. The text message contains a link that is supposed to be a shop for the T-shirts, but is actually a fake website designed to take your financial information. If you receive one of these texts, block the number and delete the text.

    ***

    Lastly, there seems to be a new Social Security scam going around the country. According to reports, there’s an ad circulating on social media that claims Social Security will provide a spending card for adults over the age of 51. This is not true, as Social Security offers no such service. More than likely, if someone tries to apply for one of these fictitious cards, the scammers will either ask for financial information, or they’ll ask for a payment first before the card can be issued.

    If you see an ad that promises you amazing Social Security or Medicare benefits, be very skeptical of them. Too often, these services are either misleading or downright fraudulent.

    If you have any questions about these advertised services, it is recommended you contact the Social Security Administration first at 1 (800) 772-1213.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 20, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , grandparent scam, ,   

    Does the grandparent scam follow a script? 

    Does the grandparent scam follow a script?

    By Greg Collier

    The grandparent scam is one of the most frequently discussed scams on this blog. Unfortunately, we have to keep discussing it because the scam continues to find victims. There’s not a week that goes by when we don’t see a new article about another elderly person being taken for thousands of dollars by these scammers. Yet, the scam continues to perpetuate. It’s gotten to the point where it seems like grandparent scammers are all reading from the same script.

    For example, an elderly woman in a Chicago suburb was recently taken for $16,000 in a grandparent scam. She received a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson. During that call, a man claiming to be her grandson’s attorney got on the phone. The attorney told the woman that her grandson had caused a car crash which resulted in a pregnant woman losing her baby.

    The attorney said that the woman’s grandson would need $16,000 to be released from jail. The woman was then instructed that a courier would come by her home to pick up the money. She was also told that a judge placed a gag order on the proceedings, so she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else what was going on with her grandson.

    After the woman gave the cash to the supposed courier, the attorney called her again the next day. This time, he was asking for $70,000 since her grandson was being sued. The woman spoke with a family member, who told her that she was being scammed. Police tried contacting the attorney, but at this point, the attorney’s phone number was no longer answering calls.

    If there was a textbook definition of the grandparent scam, this would be it. Scammers find an elderly victim because there’s usually a good chance they have grandchildren. Then the fake grandchild claims to be in trouble, but not to the extent where the victim would be required to call the rest of the family.

    In addition to there being a car accident, scammers add extra drama to the story to put the victim in an emotionally charged state. A pregnant woman losing her baby is a favorite among scammers to achieve that.

    Then comes the phony gag order. This is the scammer’s way of trying to make sure the victim doesn’t talk to any other family members. Previously, the phony grandchildren would ask the victim not to tell anyone else in the family out of embarrassment. But a gag order sounds more legally binding and has a better chance of getting the victim to keep quiet. In actual legal proceedings, gag orders do not work that way. Gag orders are usually issued in very high-profile cases to prevent participants from speaking to the media.

    As far as couriers go, attorneys, bail bondsmen, and police, never send couriers to collect any kind of bail or bond money. This money has to be paid to the court or a bail bondsman in person. They do not employ couriers to go to homes to pick up bail money.

    Lastly, if someone gives a scammer money once, the scammer will try to take more money from the same victim.

    As always with scams like this, if someone claims a loved one of yours is in legal trouble, you can hang up on that call and contact the person who’s supposedly in trouble. Only scammers will try to pressure you into staying on the phone.

    If you have a loved one who you believe may be susceptible to this scam, please share this story with them or any of the many news articles about the grandparent scam.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam, ,   

    Why scammers strike twice 

    By Greg Collier

    If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably very familiar with the grandparent scam. In case you’re a new reader, the grandparent scam is when scammers will call an elderly victim posing as one of the victim’s grandchildren. They’ll claim they’re in some kind of legal trouble and need money for bail or other legal fees.

    Recently, in Hampton, New Hampshire, an elderly couple was targeted in a grandparent scam. The scammers posed as an attorney’s office, and claimed the couple’s grandson was in a car accident and not only needed money for medical costs, but also legal costs since the scammers said the grandson hit a pregnant woman in the accident.

    As grandparent scammers have been doing lately, the scammers posed as couriers, and picked up close to $10,000 from the couple. However, the scammers are said to have pushed their luck by trying to get more money from the couple. At first, the scammers tried to get $20,000 from the couple, but settled for another $10,000.

    While the couple were withdrawing money from their bank, a bank teller was suspicious and advised the couple about the scam. Local police were contacted and arrested the alleged scammers when they arrived at the couple’s home the second time.

    Many scammers will try to get additional money from a victim if the victim has already paid once. We’ve seen this with sweepstakes scams and other forms of advance fee scam, where the scammers will continue to ask for money but never deliver any benefit to their victims.

    In other instances, if a victim pays once, scammers will make note of that, and try using a different scam on that same victim at a later time. We’ve even hard of some scammers that trade lists of victims with other scammers for money.

    If you or someone you know has fallen victim to any number of phone or internet scams, there’s a good chance they could be targeted again. As such, they should be highly skeptical of phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media messages from strangers.

    As far as the grandparent scam is concerned, anyone who receives that type of call should hang up and call someone who can verify the well-being of the loved one who’s supposedly been arrested. Also, keep in mind police, attorneys, or bail bondsmen will never call you asking for money.

     

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