Grandparent Scam

A Florida woman is out $1000, but at least her grandson is safe.

Who Is It Targeting: Primarily senior citizens

What Is It: Phishing scam that uses threats of harm or violence

What Are They After: A grandmother in Florida followed the caller’s instructions to a tee, and it cost her $1000. After falsely being told her grandson had been arrested and needed to post bail, she was instructed to purchase two $500 gift cards from a local retailer then provide the card number and PIN number to the callers.

How Can You Avoid It:

• If you’re instructed to use only one of those methods, the call is a scam.
• Never make a payment or verify your information to someone who contacts you by phone, email, or text.
• You will never be required to make any legitimate payment via gift cards, iTunes cards, wire transfer, or prepaid debit cards.

If you think you may be a victim of a scam or identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from Gainesville.com