A call this week from Sergeant Blake Slater at the Nampa Police Department Financial Crimes Division highlights the need to reinforce a recent blog about this terrible scam. Sgt. Slater said he’s investigated six grandparent scam cases this year with people losing between $3,000 and $5,000.
Here’s how the scam works: The grandparent receives a distressed phone call from someone they believe is their grandchild. The supposed grandchild typically explains that they are traveling in Canada and have been arrested or involved in an auto accident and need the grandparent to wire money to post bail or pay for damages - usually a few thousand dollars. The scammers’ basic tactic is to pose as a grandchild and let the unsuspecting grandparent fill in the blanks. For example, the scam caller might say, “It’s me, your favorite grandchild,” to which the grandparent will guess the name of the grandchild it sounds the most like, and then the call proceeds from there.
Any request to wire money should be seen as a “red flag” and an immediate tip-off that the call may be part of a scam. Funds sent via wire transfer are hard to track once received by scammers and are usually not recoverable by law enforcement or the bank. Sgt. Slater said the scam artists calling into the Treasure Valley are demanding money be sent only through MoneyGram.
Scammers like the service because it requires cash and leaves no trail for law enforcement.
Bottom line: If you or a family member have been a victim of this crime, report it to police immediately.