BPD Community Alert: Uncorroborated information suggests that grandparent scams increase during the holiday season. Scammers will text, email, or call elders impersonating a family member in trouble or claiming to represent said family member in trouble (i.e. lawyer).
These scammers will then demand money, via gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or gold bars.
Scammers instruct victims not to tell anyone and try to create a sense of urgency and fear.
Victims are advised to hang up immediately and reach out to family members before taking any other action to verify information being provided.
Reporting Holiday Scams:
- Local Police Departments
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov/
- If the scammers obtained your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov (https://www.identitytheft.gov/), to see what steps to take including how to monitor your credit.