Scammers impersonate family members in crisis to steal money: Cyber-Forensics.net cautions against Grandparent Scams

A grandparent scam involves claiming a target’s loved one is either arrested or hospitalized and requests elderly citizens to wire vast sums of money.

SOFIA, BULGARIA, March 14, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Multiple instances of scams targeting elderly citizens are making rounds. Cyber-Forensics.net is warning citizens after receiving thousands of reports against what is known as “grandparent scams.”

Officials from Cyber-Forensics.net, a cyber forensics service for online scam victims, say: Grandparent scams usually involve scammers reaching out to potential targets and claiming to target their grandchild or relatives who have been arrested. they demand a bail bond to be paid immediately to release them.

Fraud recovery specialist Timothy Benson says: “Scammers ask for large sums of money to be transferred in unusual ways to avoid face-to-face interaction. The fraudsters make up stories to extract money.”

How Do Grandparent Scams Bilk Unsuspecting Victims of Thousands of Dollars?

The grandparent scam recently duped a springwater township resident. The resident reported receiving a phone call, presumably from her grandson. The scammer pretending to be the elderly citizens’ grandson told her that he had been involved in a car accident and needed to pay $8000 to a bondsman to settle the issue.

In an attempt to help her grandson, the resident thought she was helping her grandson and withdrew money from her bank, returned home, and gave the money to a man who showed up at her home posing to be the bondsman. After speaking to her grandson, she realized she had just been defrauded of $8000 and became a victim of a grandparent scam.

Chief analyst at Cyber-Forensics.net Timothy Benson says, “Grandparent scams or emergency scams prey on the fear of loved ones being hurt or in trouble. Scammers may claim to be somebody from the family circle and say they need money immediately.”

Scenarios may include:
Needing bail money to get out of prison.
Being in a car accident.
Trouble returning home from a foreign country.

Tips to Protect Against the Grandparent Scam

Take a pause. Scammers might create a sense of urgency to prey on their victims’ emotions and love for their families.

Verify any supposed emergency by calling friends and family before sending the money to anyone.

A grandparent may think they are talking to their grandchildren. But it is easy to be fooled by an imposter. The caller might be crying, or the background may be noisy to make it difficult for targets to identify. They might say the connection is poor or internet connectivity is low.

If the caller purports to be a bail bonds person, ask where the relative is held and contact the facility directory. Grandparents may also call local police departments, where officers may help confirm the story.

Be suspicious of anyone who calls unanimously and asks to send money.

Never send cash through the mail.

Never make any purchase using prepaid debit cards or gift cards for transferring money.

Make a habit of developing passwords with family members that can be used to verify the identity of the family members being claimed over the phone.

Ask the caller a question that only real grandchildren would know the answers to. For example, what was the first bike or pet?

Always set Facebook and other social media settings to private and limit the information shown to the public. Scammers can easily access the available information such as grandchildren and claim to be them.

How to Recover Money After a Grandparent Scam?

Suppose anyone has lost money to a grandparent scam or was tricked into sending money to a criminal’s account. In that case, a criminal may have to file a report with local law enforcement. In most cases, when the scam victims can prove the scam, criminals can be brought to justice.

According to Timothy Benson, scam victims may be considered eligible for partial or maximum fund recovery if they understand the importance of contacting the proper authorities to seek help.

A legal procedure to recover funds in a grandparent scam:

Reporting the matter: It is essential to report the issue immediately. Reporting the scam will enable the concerned authorities to shut down the scam activities in victims’ accounts.

Contacting the bank: grandparent scam victims also need to get the financial organizations of their area, such as their bank, to stop the payment immediately.

Beware of fund recovery methods: The common aim is to apply for the fund recovery process after losing money to a scam. But in many cases, the victims are unaware of the fund recovery process.

Seek cyber help: Cyber experts can bring positive results in the fund recovery process. Professional teams are usually equipped with the necessary tools and equipment.

Step 1- Client Information- The cyber experts gather detailed information from the victims to start the investigation.
Step 2- Investigation: The practitioners might require a few days to get details of the scam and its initiation.
Step 3- Building the case: The fund recovery agents help the victims build a strong case by gathering the required documents and applying for reimbursements.
Step 4- Reimbursement: Depending on the case’s complication, victims may be found eligible for full, half, or 50% of reimbursement.

Therefore identifying a professional team of specialists plays a crucial role in fund recovery. Thousands of reviewers recommend Cyber-Forensics.net to be a credible name in the field of cyber forensic services.

About Cyber-Forensics.net
Cyber-Forensics.net is committed to providing the most accurate tracing service for victims of online scams. Cyber-Forensics.net empowers and simplifies the process of tracking down the cyber-criminals and assists in recovering the funds and creating an atmosphere for a negotiated settlement. Cyber-Forensics.net commonly deals with bitcoin scams and forex withdrawal problems. For more information, please visit https://cyber-forensics.net/.

Peter Thompson
Cyber-Forensics.net
+1 917-920-6613
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