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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,680
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Grandparents scam

[ Edited ]

About 8 years ago I received an email from a solicitor in England stating that a friend had been in an auto accident in London, she needed money for medical expenses and her return trip home after recovery. It was a very professional letter, gave specific details on wiring money, etc. Everyone in her email contact list received the same email-they were all listed.

 

Her email contact list had been hacked. What this "solicitor" didn't know, and we did, was that she was 9 months pregnant and due to deliver any day. There goes the London trip!

 

I've received numerous recorded messages from the "IRS" threatening legal action. All of the messages were left by people with heavy accents. The sentence patterns are stilted. These are red flags but when you listen to the message the first time there is a stomach-dropping moment! I can see where someone who panics might fall for it. 

 

Most of these phone scammers seem to have been trained in exactly what tone of voice to use, the wording, how to inflict fear and panic in the recipient's mind. Fear: that's the motivator. Fear will take over rational thought almost every time, even for some skeptics. 

 

As has been written, they may make 1000 phone calls in a day but all it takes is a few who believe them and money is made. 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,917
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I try to ignore all calls from numbers that I don't know but every now and then I like to pick up and have some fun with them?I start by saying..I am so glad you called.I have been stuck at home with explosive diarrhea and no one to talk to.Would you mind waiting for a minute while I run to the bathroom....oops they hung up!LOL.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,913
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


@YorkieonmyPillow wrote:

There are probably many elderly people who aren't on the internet, though, and haven't been warned about this.....I've heard about it FOR YEARS but some people may not have....and older people are sometimes too trusting about such matters and the motivations of other people....

 

Just the other day I read about an older couple in their eighties who had lived in the same house many decades, then they put the deed in their grandson's name and he got 3 mortgages on the place and defaulted on them, they lost their home......they were in shock....


 

 

@YorkieonmyPillow

 

"Older people"?  Unless these people have some type of medical condition, older to me means, smarter because of life experiences, more common sense about things going on around them, and other factors that should make them less vulnerable to unbelievable scams such as this one.

 

I get annoyed hearing and seeing the words " older people" used way too much. I have many friends my age, and older, and like myself do not like being patronized.because of our chronological age. There are several types of adjectives that I can use to describe ones age, that have absolutely nothing to do with what year they were born.

 

There is 1 poster that said her 30 year old, highly book educated and tight with her money, either fell, or would/could fall for this ridiculous scam. I addressed what I think that 30 year old needs to do, in my reply to that post.

 

The "older people" I know, and have known, possess an abundance of common sense/worked hard for their money, and keep up with the world in which they live. They/we need no patronization because of our chronological number of years on this planet. The aforementioned 30 year old? Time to add to her book smarts, a whole lot more "street smarts".

 

 

 

hckynut(john)

hckynut(john)
Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,913
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


@gonnab wrote:

It's reall easy to get scammed.  I'm 80 yrs old, fully capable to take care of myself.  But I have been the recipient of two different scam attempts.  One was a call from the "IRS", telling me I owed back taxes.  - very threatening call and it was scary.  Hung up on them, reported the call to my State Attorney's Office, but this person called back several times.  Interesting that she called from a different phone each time so that I couldn't recognize the caller ID.  The second attempted scam was a call from "your UPS deliverer" notifying me that he had found my ATM card and if I gave him the numbers to verify, he would return it to me.  Strange thing though - he called from Tenn.  I live in CT and have never been to Tenn!!!!!!


 

 

@gonnab,

 

Good for you. You are much more representative of those in my age group than those that choose to patronize us because of our chronological age.

 

I thank you for your realistic post concerning us so called "older people".

 

 

 

hckynut(john)

hckynut(john)
Regular Contributor
Posts: 207
Registered: ‎10-10-2015

I have received that call from the IRS three times in the last year.  I have caller I D so if I donot recognize the number or name I donot answer it. The IRS call left a  message threatening if I didnot respond I  would regret it. The IRS never calls on the phone if there is a problem they will send a letter.  So sad there are so many scammers out there.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,295
Registered: ‎03-27-2010

Re: Grandparents scam

[ Edited ]

This sounds like the email scams that I continually get from the Honorable Poo Bah from a foreign country who is informing me that a client selected me to receive 100,000,00....I hit delete as soon as I see the title and don't even bother to read the complete full page letter unless I need a laugh.  I'm sure your MIL had heartfelt intentions.  Unfortunately, it is necessary to protect ourselves in today's world.  Technology has been such a blessing and a bit of a curse as anyone has access too much information on any individual as a result of the Internet.  It shouldn't stop anyone from using their techie devices (I love my Apple products), it just means we need to be aware.  Our family no longer pics up the phone unless we know who is calling, if we don't recognize the number/name on caller ID we allow the message answering to pick up.  It's an easy way to avoid scams.  We have had numbers call for over a year that never leave a message. Some scams are on robocall and it has been suggested to NEVER pick up these calls because it alerts the system to a "live" number  and the calls will increase.  It makes our lives easier to not deal with unwanted calls.   I would suggest this practice as a way of avoiding these types of calls - no matter what age.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,475
Registered: ‎03-14-2015

Not every senior citizen is mentally sharp.

 

Also, not every senior citizen has a computer.

 

For example, my dad, who is now 89, isn't as sharp as he used to be, and, he does not own a computer.

 

About two years ago, he got a phone call telling that he had won a million dollars in the Canadian lottery.

 

You and I both know that that was a scam.

 

My dad on the other hand, believed them, and told me that he was a millionaire, and that to claim the money, he had to send money via Western Union, to cover the costs.

 

I told him that it was a scam.

 

The reason that he believed the person on the phone, was because he had been to Canada several times in his life, and he found the people there to be very nice and friendly.

 

It was literally inconceivable to him, that someone from Canada could lie and pull a scam like that.

 

No, my dad never did send any $ to "claim the prize".

 

So, while it is fantastic that you are sharp as a tack, John, I'm sure that you realize that there are people your age and older who are not, and they can and do fall victim to these scams.

Occasional Contributor
Posts: 18
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Perfect post. 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,457
Registered: ‎08-28-2010

@hckynut wrote:

 

@Justholdingon

 

How old is your MIL? Is she senile? Your whole post sounds suspect to me. Somebody believes all this BS from someone, over the phone, they do not know?

 

If true, her family might consider looking into a Power of Attorney to protect her.

 

Boy could I have had fun with a call like that one?

 

 

 

hckynut(john)


There many, many scams perpetrated via the telephone, email and internet.  How is this post suspect?  People young, old and in the middle get rooked everyday.  The predators prey on the gulliable.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,308
Registered: ‎06-15-2016

I got this one years ago! Only prob for them my ds was with me when I got it! They also contacted his high school guidance counselor who knew my ds would not contact anyone but us!

 

i also got the computer scam, directing me to click things on my computer. I played along but my computer wasn't on so when they asked a specific I hung up. They called back! I'm so sorry anyone falls for these scams!

Never underestimate the power of kindness.