October 22, 2008
Attorney General Nixon to Missouri seniors: Watch out for the grandparents scam
Jefferson City, Mo. - Attorney General Jay Nixon says a trick known as the "
grandparents scam
" has struck at least twice in Missouri in the last few weeks. A central Missouri man used a wire transfer to send $6,000 to a person he thought was his grandson. In reality, the person who called him was a con artist claiming to be his grandchild, saying he needed money to get out of jail.
In another recent case, a southwest Missouri woman received a similar phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson, asking for $5,000 for bail money. Fortunately, the woman got suspicious and called the police, who told her it was almost certainly a scam.
Nixon warns seniors in the Show-Me State to be on the lookout for the scam, in which callers randomly call seniors, hoping to pass themselves off as a grandchild in trouble. The caller describes being in a jam and needing money - perhaps to return from a foreign country, for car repairs or for bail money. Wanting to help their grandchildren, the seniors are then asked to send money, often by wire transfer, to the caller.
"This is about as low as it gets," Nixon said. "These crooks are striking right at the heart of these Missouri seniors, who are just trying to be there for their grandchildren when they think they're in need."
A central Missouri man almost fell victim to the scam in April
, but employees at the wire transfer station alerted him to the likelihood that he was about to send $8,000 to a crook.
Nixon warns grandparents who get such calls to first verify their grandchildren's whereabouts. Also, grandparents should quiz the caller for details that only the true grandchild would know, such as family members' names or hometowns. Nixon also reminds consumers that a request for a wire transfer, especially to Canada, is a red flag for fraud. Wiring money is one of the most common ways consumers lose money to con artists.
Consumers with questions or complaints can call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or visit at
ago.mo.gov
.
Inquiries from consumers should be directed to
consumer@ago.mo.gov
or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).
All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.
E-mail
Phone: 573-751-8844 Fax: 573-751-5818
