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8/19/22 - 'Emergency Scams' Are Back and Targeting Elderly - How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

Friday, August 19, 2022 at 3:17 PM

Billions of dollars are lost every year due to scammers. Learn some steps to avoid getting ripped off. Image courtesy of Unsplash. 8/19/22.

While once on the downturn, emergency scams are making a comeback. Here are multiple ways to avoid becoming a victim of this serious crime.

The call comes in from an area code around New York City.  On the other end is your grandson who says he's on a business trip and rear ended a pregnant lady's car.  He's been arrested and police are prepared to lock him up.  He needs 85-hundred to get out jail or he's going to Rikers Island, a notoriously dangerous jail. 

This call was received by a Michigan woman who was prepared to get the information down and wire the money within the hour.  Thankfully her husband came home, listened in on the conversation, and thought something just didn't add up.  They contacted their grandson, who was safely at work in Montague, just as he was everyday.

This Sunday is Nation Senior Citizens Day.  As part of that celebration, the Better Business Bureau is warning of scams that target vulnerable adults. 

One of the largest is called ‘Emergency Scams’.  That’s where a person calls up a grandparent and posses as a family member in distress, urging the elderly to wire large amounts of money to help get a relative out of trouble.  So how can you help avoid becoming a victim?

First, resist the urge to act immediately. 

Confirm the caller’s id through various questions only the real person would know. 

Verify the information with other family members.

Finally, report the scam to authorities as quickly as possible.

To report a scam, contact the Better Business Bureau HERE.

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