Police Warn of ‘Grandson Scam’

A 90-year-old Livingston woman lost more than $3,500 to a con artist posing as her grandson, according to Livingston Police.

The elderly victim answered her phone last week to hear the impersonator crying and saying he needed her help, Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold said.

The scam artist convinced the woman he was her grandson and was in jail in the Dominican Republic. He asked her to send $3,500 for bail.

The grandmother went to a local convenient store and sent the money, plus a $200 service fee through Western Union, Dippold said. The money was picked up in the Dominican Republic.

“It’s long gone,” Dippold said. Once the money is sent over the border there is very little police can do.

In recent weeks, senior citizens in Livingston have been targeted by a variety of scams. Several residents lost money in the “Lottery Scam,” according to Dippold.

In this con, the seniors received calls that they had won a lottery. The con artists are able to convince them that an attorney would deliver the money at their homes. The only catch was that they needed to wire money owed on the taxes before the winnings are delivered.

“They lie to these people and some fall for it,” Dippold said.

Information about the variety of scams can be found on the FBI Web site here.

According to information provided by the FBI, scams and frauds that target senior citizens include telemarketing frauds where scammers offer seniors bogus health care or anti-aging products, “special deals” on prescription drugs that turn out to be counterfeit or harmful and free vacations.

In addition to using the telephone, con artists also use email. A Livingston senior recently received an email he found suspicious and forwarded it to Patch and Livingston Police asking for help in “catching the culprit.”

Dear friend,

My name is (Patch has omitted the name) a branch bank manager here in Ghana. After several official inquiries from the foreign trade office of our Chambers of Commerce and Industry, I decided to contact you directly for assistance.

I am interested to transfer in your country through your assistance. I am in Ghana presently and I have the sum of Fifteen Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars which I would like to transfer into your account and invest in your country if possible.

I made this money (US$15,850,000.00) out of my branch office excess profit for the 2007 fiscal year. I choose you because I cannot be directly involved for I am still working with the bank,

I hope you can understand my situation and assist me to receive and invest this money properly as this is my only hope. You will get 30% of the total fund as commission for your sympathetic co-operation while 70% will be for me.
Please kindly get back to me ASAP.

Best regards,

There are many reasons why seniors are more likely to be victims of scammers, the FBI reports. Seniors are likely to have their life savings in the bank, own a home and have excellent credit ratings. People who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were often taught by their parents to be polite and trusting. Older Americans may be less likely to report a fraud because they may not know who to report to or be embarrassed about being victimized.

It can take weeks before victims realize that they have been scammed or report the incident, the FBI report says. When they do contact authorities, victims are asked to provide contact dates, addresses where money was sent, the time of the calls, what the scammer’s voice sounded like and other details. Unless a victim has taken notes about the incidents, it could be difficult for a person of any age to remember the details, the FBI says. Victims may be reluctant to tell relatives about the scam, fearful that the relatives will think that they are having difficulty managing financial affairs.

“It’s really sad” how these scam artists prey on senior citizens, Dippold said. He advised seniors to ask (family, neighbors, police) before they act if solicited in any unusal way for money.  The best thing for residents to do is to always contact the family member supposed to be involved in order to determine whether that person was the one calling.