Grandparents instinctively want to help their grandchildren whenever their grandchildren can, but a new scam should encourage senior citizens to think twice before wiring family members any money.
According to Rober Siciliano, a security consultant for my company, Intelius, con artists are now preying on grandparents. The scammers pretend to be their victims' grandchildren and call them on the phone, asking them to wire money to them to help them out of a financial situation.
Siciliano offers seniors some advice on how to avoid falling victim to the scam. They should always verify the caller is their grandchild, either by asking them personal questions or calling their parents. Grandparents may also want to discuss the scam with their grandchildren so they are aware of the fraud if they ever actually need money. If seniors think they have been scammed, they should notify the police.
Grandparents should be especially careful on the web, where fraud and identity theft are even more common. As a recent report from internet security firm Norton observed, victims of online identity theft routinely pay more than $300 to have their cases resolved.
Seniors are always an easy mark. Its important that people sit down with their senior family members and discuss online fraud.