Video From Cranford Police Details Grandparent Scams, Elder Fraud

CRANFORD, NJ — Residents in towns adjacent to Cranford have recently been swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars — and sometimes hundreds of thousands — in phone and internet scams, particularly targeting seniors.

In fact, a recent analysis showed that in New Jersey, 124,856 people fell victim to reported online scams in 2020, a 28 percent increase from the 97,705 reported in 2019. READ MORE: Internet Scams In NJ See Uptick Amid Pandemic

The Cranford police recently released a video to help people identify and steer clear of various scams and fraud incidents that prey on the elderly.

"The Cranford Police Community Outreach Unit created a video to assist in understanding Grandparent Scams/Elder Fraud," said a recent message from the Township Committee. The video is called "Prevent Scams From Happening."

Headlines like these have appeared in only the past few months:

• Westfield Resident Scammed Out Of $435K After Instagram Post
• Health Aide, Others Charged In Theft From Summit Senior
• Hudson County Men Arrested In 'Scheme' Against Westfield Senior
• Summit Resident Bilked Out Of $9K In 'Grandparent Scam'

The township explained, "Fraud does not discriminate. It might not have happened to you, but it is up to us to share this information so it doesn’t happen to the next person."

What's the 'Grandparent Scam?'

The "Grandparent scam" is a scam in which a person calls and claims they need money to release a family member from custody. They often demand personal information over the phone, then are able to access a person's bank account or in one recent case, the suspects drove up a Summit home to retrieve the money. READ MORE: Summit Resident Bilked Out Of $9K In 'Grandparent Scam'

Police have asked people not to give personal information over the phone. Scammers may pose as law enforcement, computer repair people, electricians, or others.

People have also participated in elder fraud schemes, obtaining money from impressionable seniors' bank accounts.

The police video is here.

Last spring, the Cranford police put out this notice:

Advisory: Grandparent Scam Alert

The Cranford Police Department would like to caution our community of a noticeable trend in “Grandparent” scams across the state. In a typical “Grandparent” scam, a con artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or someone claiming to represent the relative (such as a lawyer or law enforcement agent). The "relative" of the grandparent explains he or she is in trouble and needs their grandparent to wire them funds that will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or another fictitious expense. In some cases, the con artist will even pick up cash from the victim’s home. The victim is urged not to tell anyone, such as the parent of the “grandchild” because they do not want them to find out about the trouble, they've gotten themselves into. The grandparent never hears from their fake grandchild again and is tricked out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

To detect and avoid the “Grandparent” scam, we recommend the following tips:

• Beware of any urgent solicitation of funds, especially if it is needed to pay for unexpected bills, such as bail money, lawyer’s fees, or doctor bills

• Before sending funds, independently contact the relative (or parent of the relative) the scam artist is claiming to be (or represent) at a known phone number to verify the details of the story.

• Scam artist’s payment method of choice are the wire transfer, cash, or gift cards. Any urgent requests for money should be treated suspiciously.

• Be aware that fraudsters attempting the “Grandparent” scam may call late at night to confuse potential victims.

• Victims of this scam should immediately report it to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt

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