Moorestown Police Warn About 'Grandparent Phone Scams'

MOORESTOWN, NJ — There has been an increase in scams that target the elderly in Moorestown and the surrounding area, according to police.

“Before getting taken by these fraudsters, if the call sounds strange, call us at the PD first before making any payments,” Moorestown police said in a post on social media. “Grandparent scammers have gotten bolder: they might even come to your door to collect money, supposedly for your grandchild in distress.”

According to police, the most common types of scams include:

• A “grandchild” calling a grandparent late at night or early in the morning, claiming to be traveling in a foreign country. They say they have gotten into a bad situation, like being arrested for drugs, getting in a car accident, or being mugged…and they need money wired ASAP. And the caller doesn’t want his or her parents told. They could also pretend to be a family friend, a niece or nephew, or another family member;
• The criminal pretends to be an arresting police officer, a lawyer, a doctor at a hospital, or some other person, and sometimes the phony grandchild talking first and then handing the phone over to an accomplice to further spin the fake tale; and
• After perusing a soldier’s social networking site, a con artist will contact the soldier’s grandparents, sometimes claiming that a problem came up during military leave that requires money to address.

The FBI offers the following tips to avoid falling victim to these scams:

• Resist the pressure to act quickly.
• Try to contact your grandchild or another family member to determine whether or not the call is legitimate.
• Never wire money based on a request made over the phone or in an e-mail...especially overseas. Wiring money is like giving cash—once you send it, you can’t get it back.