The grandchild trick is a perfidious scam that fraudsters use to rob older people of their savings. We often hear of cases in which older people fall for the scam and transfer large amounts of money to supposed grandchildren or alleged police officers.

But how does the grandchild trick work and why are older people particularly at risk?

The grandchild scam usually begins with a call to an elderly person. The caller pretends to be a grandchild, relative or acquaintance and asks for financial support because he is allegedly in dire straits. The situation is often described dramatically, for example an accident, a sudden illness or an impending eviction. The fraudster asks for immediate help and asks that the money be transferred to an account via cash transfer or bank transfer.

But in reality they are scammers who take advantage of the trust of older people. They have often gathered information about the victims in advance in order to appear more credible. They often use a technical method called “spoofing” to spoof their phone number and give the impression that the call is actually from a trustworthy contact.

The “grandchild trick 2.0” is also particularly perfidious, in which fraudsters pretend to be police officers and pretend to want to protect the money from fraudsters. They advise older people to transfer the money to an account specifically set up for this purpose. In reality, however, it is an account belonging to the scammers themselves.

Older people are particularly at risk for the grandchild trick because they are often lonely and crave contact and attention. They are also often less familiar with modern technology and the tricks used by fraudsters. Shame and fear of embarrassing situations can also lead to falling prey to fraudsters.

Tips to protect yourself from a grandchild trick

To protect yourself from the grandchild trick and similar scams, older people should follow the following tips:

  • Don't trust anyone who asks you for money unsolicited over the phone.
  • Be suspicious if you are asked for personal information or banking details.
  • Do not transfer money to strangers or to accounts that you have not researched yourself.
  • Don't allow yourself to be pressured or pressured into making quick decisions.
  • If you have any doubts, contact the police or a trusted friend.

In keeping with the topic:
Declaring war on shock calls and grandchild tricks
Grandchild trick 2.0: New deeds every day via WhatsApp

Good advice in old age PDF 1.04 MB
Living safely in old age PDF 4.79 MB

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )