As you might expect, the current pandemic has inspired inventive con artists to come up with some new scams to separate you from your cash.
As many of us are now seeing our family less, there has been an increase in what’s known as “the grandparent scam.” It starts with a phone call from someone claiming to be from a police department. They say they have one of your grandchildren in custody. They may even put someone on the phone that sounds like your grandchild. They then ask for your credit card number for use is “posting bail.” If you don’t want to give out your credit card number, they may ask you to purchase some gift cards and read them those numbers over the phone.
Don’t do either. That’s not the way our legal system works. Ask for the name of the police department. Then, look up the number for yourself and call. If they do have a relative of yours, you next move should be to contact a good lawyer – not to fork over any of your hard earned cash!