WS Chronicle

From N.C. Attorney General’s office

Criminals will sometimes pretend to be a family member or a grandchild in trouble and in need of money. They find out who your loved ones and grandchildren are by scouring the internet and social media, so that when they call you, they have enough information to make the call sound real. They pretend to be your family member and ask for money to get out of a crisis; they may even use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a voice recording that sounds exactly like your grandchild. They ask you to wire money or load funds onto gift cards. We all want to help our loved ones when they are in difficult situations, but we can’t let our concern rush us into falling for a scam.  

You can avoid grandparent scams by following these tips: 

*Verify with someone you trust. Call another relative or call the relative who claims to be in trouble. Verify even if the caller asks you not to.  

*If someone claims to be a loved one, ask the person questions that only your real family member would be able to answer. 

*Share carefully on social media. Make sure your privacy settings prevent strangers from accessing information about you or your family. 

*Never wire or send money in response to a phone call, email or online message. Once the money has been received by a fraudster, it’s almost impossible to get it back. 

Too often, scammers often try to take advantage of older people or people who may be especially vulnerable to common scam tactics like fear, threats, or pressure. 

And if you think you may have been the victim of a scam or have been contacted by a scammer, report it to our office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or file a complaint.