[Durham INC] Senior Fraud Alert: New Twist on Grandparent Scam Observed

[Pat]

To: Colony-Woods at GoogleGroups.com; CWNeighbors at YahooGroups.com; RidgefieldParkBriarcliff at YahooGroups.com
From: RickFahrer at aol.com
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:16:47 -0400
Subject: [cwneighbors] Senior Fraud Alert: New Twist on Grandparent Scam Observed




FYI from Rick Fahrer


  
  
  FYI, we are seeing 
  this again in Chapel Hill.
  
  
  Officer Robin 
  Clark
  Chapel Hill Police 
  Department
  Community Services 
  Division
  (919)-969-2068
  rclark at townofchapelhill.org
  
   
  
  
  From: Kirkman, David 
  [mailto:Dkirkman at ncdoj.gov] 
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 12:05 
  PM
To: Kirkman, David
Subject: Senior Fraud Alert: New 
  Twist on Grandparent Scam Observed
  TO 
  NC SENIOR CONSUMER FRAUD TASK FORCE MEMBERS 
  ******Alert 
  #322******
  The Elder Fraud Unit of 
  the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division is noticing a new twist in 
  the way overseas scam artists are running the “Grandparent Scam.”   
  Whereas in recent years the scammers have claimed that they were the victim’s 
  grandchild vacationing overseas, and that they were facing criminal charges in 
  a country such as Peru, Mexico, Spain or England for causing in a terrible 
  traffic accident, now some of them are claiming to be incarcerated in the 
  local jail of the community where the grandchild actually resides.  They 
  claim that the persons they injured were foreign tourists who were travelling 
  in a rental car here in the U.S. and that release from jail on bond will not 
  be considered until thousands of dollars are wired to the injured foreign 
  tourists, who have returned to their home country to recuperate.  The 
  payments usually are represented to be for medical care.
  This new twist may stem 
  from the fact that targets of the Grandparent Scam often will not believe that 
  their grandchild has gone on an overseas trip, especially without telling 
  them.   Or, the victim might have spoken with the grandchild in 
  question just hours or days before.  Victims are more likely to believe, 
  however, that their grandchild was just involved in a local traffic 
  accident.  One target was told recently that her grandson was in the 
  local jail here in North Carolina.  Another NC target was told that her 
  grandson was in the local jail in his current town in New York 
  state.   In both instances the targets of the scams were told to 
  wire $6000 to individuals in Bogota, Columbia.
  The other common features 
  of a Grandparent Scam appear to remain the same:
  1.     
  The supposed 
  grandchild explains that his or her voice sounds different because of injuries 
  sustained in the wreck.
  2.     
  The supposed 
  grandchild implores the grandparent not to tell his or her parents until he 
  gets out of jail – and describes terrible conditions in the 
  jail.
  3.     
  Third parties 
  claiming to be the grandchild’s attorney or jailer will place calls to the 
  grandparent, describe the grandchild’s deteriorating physical or legal 
  situation, and press them to wire money (or more money) 
  immediately.
  4.     
  The grandparent is 
  told not to bother with calling the grandchild’s cell phone number because it 
  has been confiscated by jailers.
  5.     
  Once money has been 
  wired, the grandparent is called again and told that additional monies need to 
  be wired because the medical condition of a victim has deteriorated, or a 
  victim has died,  or because the victims’ rental car company wants to be 
  compensated for damages, or because charges have been increased, necessitating 
  more money for bail or attorneys fees.
  In the U.S., a person 
  arrested because of an automobile accident cannot be held in jail until the 
  other party’s medical or property damage bills are paid. 
  Individuals or businesses 
  who think an older adult is being targeted with this or any other type of 
  cross-border scam should contact the Elder Fraud Unit of the Attorney 
  General’s, telephone 1-877-5-NOSCAM, and ask to speak with one of the 
  Telemarketing Fraud Duty Agents.    
  ******End 
  of Alert******
   
  Date:   
  March 7, 2014 
  
  David N. 
  Kirkman
  Task Force 
  Alerts Chair
  Special Deputy 
  Attorney General
  Consumer 
  Protection Division
  Office of 
  Attorney General Roy Cooper
  114 West 
  Edenton Street
  9001 Mail 
  Processing Center
  Raleigh, 
  NC  27699-9001
  Tel. 
  919-716-6000 		 	   		  
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