MADISON - With thousands college students heading to far away places for spring break, con artists will ramp up the "grandparent scam."
Con artists will call elderly people with the pretense that a grandchild has been arrested, hospitalized or has endured some other hardship that requires money. The caller asks the victim to send a wire transfer of money to help the grandchild get through the hardship.
Each year thousands of grandparents are scammed out of millions of dollars by the scheme. Those who receive a call can protect themselves from becoming a victim of the scam by authenticating the caller's claims. Those who receive a call should not send any money until the grandchild's parents are checked with, or call the grandchild directly to verify everything is fine.
Those who receive a call should report the scam to the local police and sheriff departments, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Production at www.privacy.wi.gov.
Con artists will call elderly people with the pretense that a grandchild has been arrested, hospitalized or has endured some other hardship that requires money. The caller asks the victim to send a wire transfer of money to help the grandchild get through the hardship.
Each year thousands of grandparents are scammed out of millions of dollars by the scheme. Those who receive a call can protect themselves from becoming a victim of the scam by authenticating the caller's claims. Those who receive a call should not send any money until the grandchild's parents are checked with, or call the grandchild directly to verify everything is fine.
Those who receive a call should report the scam to the local police and sheriff departments, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Production at www.privacy.wi.gov.