Agrandmother named Beth received a harrowing phone call about her grandson, Will. Apparently, Will was in Peru and was in deep trouble. There had been an accident, and he needed $600. But there was more. The caller told Beth that he was a representative from the American Embassy, speaking on behalf of her grandson who was imprisoned overseas. He said there was a gag order in place which prevented Beth from talking to anyone else about the incident — and if she violated the gag order, the caller said that her grandson may be harmed.
At the time, Beth had no idea the phone call was a complete hoax. She had no time think rationally.
This is called the “Grandma Scam,” and it happens more often then you may think to the elderly population over the age of 70. As County News Center reports, “Like many scams that target seniors, it had the heartbreaking commonality of using the combination of love and fear to steal money.” In reality, Beth’s grandson, Will, is a coast guard who lives on the east coast of the United States. He was never in Peru and his life was never threatened, but Beth loves him so much that she was willing to go broke if it meant his safety. In the end, Beth spent $64,000 on the scam!
County News Center notes the following elder scam tips:
A sense of urgency
Asks for payment in MoneyPak cards
Insists on secrecy
Thank God the bank employee followed her gut and got to the bottom of the story.
This simply cannot happen to senior citizens! Please SHARE Beth’s story with your friends on Facebook, so others can be aware.
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