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Are We Scammable?
Most of the people who read my blog are grandmothers, or moms of adult children.
I like to think that by this time in our lives we are wise and settled.
We are no longer naive or gullible.
The other day I was scrolling through my online bank account and noticed a charge that I didn’t recognize.
I called the toll free number and it turned out that the charge was for some “free trial” service I had signed up for – for 30 days. After the 30 days, they automatically charged me for the next month.
What about asking me if I would like to enroll? No. They just signed me up, and I almost fell for it. I thought I was the only one who gets into these kinds of financial messes.
And then I read about the Grandparent Scams. Here’s the typical scenario. Phone rings in grandmom’s house. She picks up the phone:
“Hello…”
“Hello Granny,” says a sweet voice on the other end of the line.” “Listen Granny, I’m stuck in China and I need a thousand dollars wired to me immediately. I’ve been robbed. My passport is gone. Please. Help me!”
And then the punchline:
“Please don’t tell my parents. They will be really upset!”
Beware: It’s a scam! False. These “kids” are not really the grandchildren of the elderly that they con and trick. They are a bunch of con artists, just out to get money.
It seems the way these situations have played out is that many elderly have been actually falling for this scam. Which grandparent doesn’t want to give her grandchildren money (reminiscent of my last post)? How many grandparents are just excited to fix things and be there for the darling grandchildren who are in trouble?
Better idea would be to delay, hang up, think about it, and call your grandchildren to verify the story. Chances are they will tell you they are safe and sound in their home town.
About ten years ago, I had close relatives – an elderly couple in their 80’s who had a huge sum of property and money stolen from them by a greedy neighbor. A long story. But needless to say, my relatives’ children took the culprits to court and won in court.
People like to take advantage of the elderly and the infirm. We are not elderly yet. But we can begin to exercise our wisdom even now to prevent any future scams.
Not to say we should be suspicious and paranoid. But it always helps to be alert to people who are not trustworthy – shady people who are out for an extra buck.
Be wary. Be smart.
This is very good advice to spread around. My parents had this- someone posing as my nephew and my mother was practically convinced. My father saw right through it but it was very unnerving for them that someone knew they had a grandson of an age who could travel, etc.
Good that your parents saw right through it. I have to say that for people I know who it happened to, it was more tragic. The people who duped them were very cunning.
some use that kind of marketing to sell their product. i have my experience myself. i was enroll for some health program that turns out to be free for the first month but for the next month, i have to paid double – and the sales never told me about this.
and for the kind of grandparents’s scam, i’ve received so many email and text message in here in Indonesia that kind of like that. the text messages known as ‘Papa/Mama’ scam.
Papa/Mama scam – how apt! I like that title, although I don’t like the people who do the scams! Thanks for your comment, and I really hope these people get prosecuted!