By Toni King
Hello Toni,
Recently a local news channel exposed a “granny scam” which stole $thousands from an elderly woman who thought her adult daughter had been kidnapped. This is the second scam that I have heard about recently. A friend of mine had a phone call from their grandson who was in jail and needed $1,600 to bail him out. Both calls were false and has scammed millions from America’s elderly.
What is strange is that in both situations the victim was told to go to CVS or Wal-Mart and use Money Gram to instantly send the money. They knew all the personal information about the senior’s family and even the nick name that they called their grandparent. Cash was wired, no check or credit card used, so there was no way for those scammed to get their money back.
America reads the Toni Says® Medicare column each week and I thought this would be a great topic for the Medicare community. Please explain what to do if we get one of these calls…Andy, a concerned Grandpa from St. Louis, MO
Great Story, Andy:
With millions of Americans over the age of 55 on Facebook, which contains easily accessible personal information. In today’s rapidly growing internet society, it is easier than ever for hackers and scammers to get their hands on our personal data, which helps the scammer steal from unsuspecting victims that grandkids are more valuable than diamonds and rubies.
Many believe that only their family and…
