The scam that we’re about to report on isn’t a new scam by any means. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, or something very similar. It’s called The “Grandparent Scam”.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s detectives say they’re seeing an increase in reports from our senior citizens that have been duped by this scam. Law enforcement reports show that there have been at least 9 Pinellas County residents that have been scammed this way since January.
According to Pinellas County Deputies, senior citizens are being contacted by someone that pretends to be their grandchild. They tell the victim that they have been injured and are being transported to the hospital or they’ve also used the excuse that they have been arrested and need money for bail.
In both cases, they ask the grandparent to hide the money in a magazine, then send the magazine through the mail. Once the victim learns the real grandchild was never injured or in jail, the transaction can’t be traced due to sending cash.
I assume this scam materializes here more often due to our high elderly population. But Sheriff’s are advising residents that if you do receive such a call, to make sure you verify the family member’s circumstance with another family member before acting.
For the full story go to Patch.com