North Syracuse, N.Y. — A warning was issued to elderly citizens of Central New York Friday after several local seniors lost over $24,000 to “grandparent scams” or “family emergency scams,” state police said.
The scam involves an elderly person being asked to give money to a stranger or someone pretending to be a relative under the guise of helping the elderly person’s family member with legal or financial issues.
An 83-year-old woman received a call from a man on April 4 claiming to be the lawyer of the woman’s grandson, troopers said. The man said her grandson had been arrested and needed $9,800 in cash for legal fees, troopers said. The woman got the money and gave it to a currier who arrived at her home, troopers said.
An 87-year-old man fell prey to a similar scheme on April 27, when he received a call from a man pretending to be a lawyer for his grandson-in-law, troopers said. He was tricked into paying the man $15,000 for a fake bail after being told his family member had been arrested, state police said.
The state police have offered several tips for avoiding these scams:
- Take a pause. Scammers create a sense of urgency to prey on victims’ emotions and their love for family members.
- Verify any supposed emergency by calling friends and family before sending money. This is especially important if a potential victim has been warned not to do so.
- A grandparent may think they would know whether they were speaking to their own grandchild or to an imposter, but it is easy to be fooled. The caller may be crying or the background may be noisy, or the caller may claim the connection is bad.
- If the caller purports to be a bail bondsperson, ask where the relative is being held and contact the facility directly. Grandparents can also call their local police department, where officers may be able to call the jail and confirm the story.
- Be suspicious of anyone who calls unexpectedly asking to be sent money.
- Never send cash through the mail.
- Never purchase pre-paid debit cards or gift cards for the purpose of transferring money.
- Develop a secret code or “password” with family members that can be used to verify the identity of family members over the phone.
- Ask a question that only the real grandchild would know the answer to, such as “what was the name of your first pet?”
- Set Facebook and other social media settings to private to limit information available to scammers, such as the name of grandchildren.
The Federal Trade Commission received 24,545 complaints in 2020 of people impersonating family members or friends, according to state police. That was up from 20,234 complaints in 2019, troopers said. Nearly 1,400 complaints were filed by people in New York in 2020, troopers said.
State police ask anyone who has been targeted by this scam to file a complaint by completing and submitting a Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau online complaint form or by calling (800) 771-7755.
Staff writer James McClendon covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach him at 914-204-2815 or jmcclendon@syracuse.com.
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