Sunday is Grandparents Day and the Ohio Attorney General has a few tips on how to avoid being taken advantage of by scammers.
As the nation celebrates Grandparents Day Sunday, Attorney General Mike DeWine is reminding grandparents and families to be on the watch for the grandparent telephone scam.
The grandparent phone is a scam that targets grandparents in order to take advantage of their special relationship with their grandchildren.
Typically, a grandparent will receive a phone call from someone posing as a grandchild. The phony grandchild claims to be in trouble and in urgent need of money, maybe to pay a fine or a lawyer.
The grandparent is then asked to wire money to a certain location, often out of the country. To Often, the scammer will then ask the grandparent to not tell the parents.
The average amount reported to have been lost is about $5,000, but some consumers report losing $10,000 or more.
If you should fall victim to this, or any other scam you are urged to file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's office by calling 1-800-282-0515 or by visiting the OAG website Here
To help prevent you or a loved one from becoming a victim of this scam it is advised that you never wire money to someone who calls unexpectedly, even if the caller claims to be a relative.
It is also a good idea to ask the caller questions only a family member would know.
