Saturday, November 2

Grandparents, isolated by COVID, must protect themselves from scammers

Los abuelos, aislados por la COVID, deben protegerse de estafadores

Scammers often call older adults at night or very early in the morning, when they are disoriented by sleep. / File

Photo: Archive / Impremedia

Ana B. Nieto

The elderly have been very isolated for months. COVID, especially hard on older people, has prevented many grandparents from seeing their grandchildren for months and that together with the emotional bond that binds them makes them easy prey in the eyes of scammers, something that has led to state attorney general to issue an alert.

Prosecutor Letitia James warns of a strategy to get money through phone calls by scammers who are made passing through a grandchild in distress who urgently needs money. Sometimes, some people posing as a security or bail bond agent, perhaps a lawyer, who claim to make the call on behalf of the grandchild with the same intention, to get the money from the victim.

Usually the story they tell their victim is that the grandson has been arrested. “Grandma, I am arrested for driving after drinking alcohol, I need money to post bail. Please don’t tell my parents. ” That is in essence the presentation of the scammer who with that final phrase of complicity complicates the possibility that a fraud is known that is not reported much.

The favorite hours to act are those of the night or early in the morning to take advantage of the disorientation that a call produces when someone is sleeping or just getting up.

Many elderly people do not recognize the Your grandchildren’s voices either because you deliberately create a lot of noise around you or make the phone line look like it has interference. All of this adds confusion to a plot that is crowned by asking for money that is paid via mail or with a prepaid or gift card from which the victim is asked to read the serial numbers on a subsequent call. Thus, no trace remains.

James has shared a video in which it is explained how a fraud works that the year 2020 were received 24, 545 complaints in the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, about 2, 300 more than the previous year. Of these, 1, 359 arrived from New York.

“I ask all New Yorkers to be vigilant and protect their families,” James explained. How?. The prosecution gives the following clues:

  • Take time. Scammers will convey urgency and tell your family about love. Do not do anything in a hurry.
  • Verify the call with a member of your family or friends before sending money, especially the scammer has told you not to do it.
  • If someone from the authority makes a call to you, please ask for the data and the telephone number of where they say they have called to make sure of the history. Call the police to verify the story.
  • Just call for money urgently and never mail money or buy a gift or debit card to transfer funds. It is the first sign of danger.
    • Ask a question that only your grandchild can answer because it is a family question. Make sure it is something that no one shares on social media.
    • Be careful with what you share on social networks. Everyone can see most things and make you vulnerable.