Other LanguagesConsumers in our state continue to be targeted by Canadian crooks posing as grandchildren in trouble. All Consuming sounded an alert about the Grandparent Scam back in July. Shortly after, victims began telling their stories about how they’d wired thousands of dollars to cons. And now KOMO has a new report of victims losing serious money. Crimes like this can also take a serious emotional toll on their victims.
It’s not clear how the scammers are getting the names of the grandchildren or their targets. They may use public Web sites or simply say "Hi, Grandma!" when the phone is picked up and wait for the victim to provide the name.
If you get a call like this, ask for personal information. If the caller can't provide their middle name or birth date, you'll quickly know something's fishy. One of the families interviewed in KOMO's story has since established a security password to help identify legitimate callers; it's a good idea.