The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is raising awareness among consumers about a new robocall scam targeting vulnerable older Americans.
In a Consumer Alert issued in early March, the FCC warns consumers to pay particular attention to a new, so-called “Grandparent Scam” robocall scheme intended to trick older people into parting with their money. According to the Alert, scam callers falsely claim to be a relative of the call recipient and use personal information about the recipient’s relatives and acquaintances (such as the travel plans of grandchildren) to support their identity claim.
Then, the caller claims to need money for an emergency purpose, such as for bail in the case of an arrest, and advises the call recipient to give cash to a “bail bondsman” who will come to the target’s home to collect the money.
Leveraging the latest technology, some callers even use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to clone the voice of the real relative being impersonated by the caller.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly indicted 25 individual Canadian nationals for participating in the fraudulent robocall scheme for defrauding elderly individuals in more than 40 U.S. states.
The FCC’s Consumer Alert on “Grandparent Scam” robocalls is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-410052A1.pdf.
The FCC has also posted on its website a Consumer Guide providing tips for avoiding the scam, which is available at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/scam-alert/grandparent-scams-get-more-sophisticated.
