Following this week’s arrest of two Florida men who allegedly attempted to scam an elderly Ithaca couple out of $23,000, State Police have again issued tips for residents who receive unsolicited phone calls asking for money.
An investigation determined the couple thought they were sending the $23,000 to a nephew who needed it for bail money. An alert Uber driver picked up a package from the Ithaca home and noticed it contained a lot of money. The driver immediately contacted State Police, who instructed the driver to deliver the package to its destination in Onondaga County. After the package was delivered, State Police arrested the recipients, who had more than $32,000 in cash in their motel room.
State Police urge anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to try and get hold of their grandchild or the child’s parents to confirm the status of the child before sending any money.
Grandparents can also ask a question only their grandchild would know such as the name of a pet, the grandchild’s mother’s birthday, or the name of the grandchild’s elementary school.
Here are some tips if you receive a call like this:
Verify an Emergency
If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a family member or a friend desperate for money:
- Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is.
- Verify the person’s identity by asking questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer.
- Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
- Don’t wire money — or send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier.
- Report possible fraud at ftc.gov/complaint or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.
Scammers Use Tricks
They impersonate your loved one convincingly.
It’s surprisingly easy for a scam artist to impersonate someone. Social networking sites make it easier than ever to sleuth out personal and family information. Scammers also could hack into the e-mail account of someone you know. To make their story seem legitimate, they may involve another crook who claims to be an authority figure, like a lawyer or police officer.
They play on your emotions.
Scammers are banking on your love and concern to outweigh your skepticism. In one version of this scam, con artists impersonate grandchildren in distress to trick concerned grandparents into sending money. Sometimes, this is called a “Grandparent Scam.”
They swear you to secrecy.
Con artists may insist that you keep their request for money confidential – to keep you from checking out their story and identifying them as imposters. Victims of this scam often don’t realize they’ve been tricked until days later when they speak to their actual family member or friend who knows nothing about the “emergency.” By then, the money they sent can’t be recovered.
