Guilford Police Warn Residents Of 'Grandparent Scammers'

GUILFORD, CT — The Guilford Police Department is warning the public about "grandparent scammers" after receiving complaints from residents in recent days.

Police said in a Facebook post that scammers will call and pose as family members in need of monetary help.

"The scammers gather information on people through websites and social media, providing them with all the details to pose as a relative or loved one. When the call is received, the victim believes that the actual family member is in trouble," police said.

This week, police said two residents nearly fell for the scam to the tune of $18,000. In both cases, calls came in at around 9 a.m., and the scammers claimed to be a son or grandson needing bail money.

"Fortunately, neither of the targeted victims handed over the money, but it was believed to be real at the time. One victim went to the bank to withdraw the money, but fortunately, the bank was closed due to weather conditions [Tuesday]," police said. "These quick little scams swindle victims out of billions of dollars a year and are only becoming a more prevalent problem with technology and identity theft."

Police urged residents to speak with relatives and loved ones about this kind of scam.

"The scam targets everyone, not just grandparents. Let’s expose this scam to everyone and make sure they don’t swindle any victims again."