You work hard for your money. No one should scam you out of it. But this is the society we live in. People intentionally target seniors to scam them out of hard-earned money and play on their emotions. Please share this post with seniors you love, so they don’t fall for this scam.

Senior Scams

Real Scammer Call Targeting Senior

Here’s a summary of a call a savvy grandma I know received from a scammer made trying to get thousands of dollars:

Caller (scammer): “Hey Grandma, how you doing?”

Senior (target): “I’m doing fine. How about you?”

Caller (scammer): (Then he started explaining a problem he was having and how he needed her help. His story went a little like this.) "I was driving and a lady hit me. When the police came, they saw that I was  drinking and driving. So I got charged with a DUI. They gave me a public defender, but I need to have $9,000 to get out of jail before Christmas."

Senior (target): “I didn't think it cost that much. Not $9,000!”

Caller (scammer): "Yeah, it went up grandma. It went up! That’s how much it cost, $9,000 to get out. And I still need help grandma.”

Senior (target): “Goodness, that is horrible!”

Caller (scammer): “They are going to lock me up for 90 days.”

Senior (target): “They should lock you up for more than that and throwaway the key! And next time, perhaps, you’ll learn not to drink and drive.” (Then she hung up the phone!!!)

Seniors: Don’t Fall for This Scam – How to Spot Scams Like This One:

  • They are usually very generic in their conversation. According to this savvy grandma – “You can usually spot these types of calls because the caller never says their name. For example, there won’t be a ‘Hi grandma, this is Billy. How are you doing?’ They just say grandma or grandpa.” One time this savvy senior asked, “Who is this?” And he just replied, “Grandma, you know who this is.”  
  • There’s always an urgent problem that requires you to send money now.
  • They are overly friendly to try and build your trust.
  • The story keeps getting worse and more urgent to get you to send money right away.

7 Scams Reported on AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline

Scammers often prey on people at certain ages they think have grandkids to try and trick them into giving them money. Unfortunately, some concerned grandparents think it’s real and they give them the money. Don’t let that be you or someone you love, just hang up. If you’re concerned it may be true, then hang up and call your grandchild directly or another family member to get more information.

Protect Yourself from Scams