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- Never be fooled by information on your caller ID
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Scam artists can easily make it look as though they are officials from law enforcement or other agencies. How? Simply by having your caller ID identify them as something other than scammers. Don’t believe it for a second if your caller ID tells you the Toronto Police Dept. or a US Embassy overseas is calling. Scammers often try to stay a step ahead by convincing potential victims from the start that they, the scammers, are figures of authority that you had better listen to.
What grandparent wouldn’t open the vault if a grandson or granddaughter were calling from the “Florida Dept. of Corrections” or any other ominous-sounding agency that immediately causes major concern about the well-being of that grandchild? That is how the scammers operate—so do not be swayed by who your caller ID says is calling.
As far as the telephone number is concerned, ask if you can call back. There is a good chance the number on your caller ID is as fake as the “agency” your caller ID says is calling. Ask for a call-back number. If it’s not as easy for you to reach the caller by telephone as it was for him or her to call you, just add that to the list of red flags.
Do not be swayed by websites, either, however official-looking and convincing they may look. There are more fake websites out there than you can imagine.
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- Consult other family members immediately
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Try to reach that grandson or granddaughter. Confirm his or her whereabouts. If you cannot reach your grandchild, ask other family members about him or her. Ask whether anybody in the family has heard from your grandchild lately. Is there really any possibility he or she is traveling in Canada or Mexico or Puerto Rico or wherever that suspicious phone call supposedly came from? Do not listen to those pleas from your “grandchild” begging you to keep this phone call private. You have a responsibility to yourself, the parents of your grandchild, your wallet, and even your grandchild—if that really is him or her—NOT to keep that conversation just between the two of you. Get on the phone right away, calling every relative who might know exactly where your grandchild is and whether there is any chance at all that you have received a legitimate call.
Nearly always, you will quickly learn you have been targeted by a scammer and not contacted by a grandchild in trouble. When you determine you have dealt with a scammer, you will do yourself and other seniors a service by reporting the matter to the FBI or other authorities.
The Federal Trade Commission offers some further suggestions that are highly recommended here. Because Canada seems to have supplanted Nigeria to a large degree as a country that comes to mind with regard to scams targeting seniors in the United States, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI are working together to address this problem. If you have been scammed into wiring money to Canada, the BBB suggests phoning Phonebusters toll-free at 1-888-495-8501. Authorities on both sides of the border are determined to put an end to the Grandma scam, and if you have been targeted in any way, they need your help.
The BBB offers some other good advice: “Remember, scammers want to push you into acting quickly—without thinking. Nothing is so urgent that you have to act within the next two minutes. Breathe. Relax. Talk to someone.”
Follow that advice and stay on your toes by following the tips we have listed above, and you should have all the protection you need to stay safe from scammers.
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Beware of the Grandma Scam© 2013 MedicareMall.com