Wilmington Police Warn Residents Of 'Grandparent Scam'

WILMINGTON, MA—After receiving numerous reports recently, the Wilmington Police Department is warning the community of a popular scam targeting the elderly throughout eastern Massachusetts.

Sometimes referred to as a 'grandparent scam,' Wilmington police said senior citizens are targeted for financial exploitation.

The target will receive a call from a person claiming to be their grandchild who is some sort of trouble and needs money immediately, police warned. From there, an amount is agreed upon and a location is set up for the victim to give the bad guy the money.

According to police, the calling party, or scammer, is often very convincing and usually has done some research on the potential victim, so they may have some personal information to attempt to validate their claim.

However, according to police, don't fall for it. If you receive a call that is similar to this, immediately hang up and call the Wilmington Police Department at 978-658-5071 to verify the information.

"Please help us reduce this criminal activity by advising any of your family members or other elders in the community about this activity—so they don't become the next victim," police stressed on their official Facebook page.

The Federal Trade Commission also offers these tips:

• Resist the urge to act immediately – no matter how dramatic the story is.
• Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
• Don’t send cash, gift cards, or money transfers – once the scammer gets the money, it’s gone!

If you get a scam call, you can also report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.