Grandparent Scams
Phone scams cost Americans $1.4 billion in 2024, according to the FTC.
Quick Answer
In a grandparent scam, a criminal calls and impersonates a grandchild or other relative in urgent need of money, costing victims over 60 years old $2.3 million in 2023 alone.
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How It Works
1
A scammer calls an older adult and says something like, "Hi Grandma, it's me." They wait for the person to respond with a name, like "David?" The scammer then assumes the identity of that grandchild. Scammers often gather personal details from social media to make their impersonation more believable.
2
The scammer, posing as the grandchild, creates a frantic story about an emergency. Common scenarios include being arrested and needing bail, getting into a car accident and needing money for repairs or medical bills, or being stranded in a foreign country. The scammer's voice is often distorted by emotion, making it difficult to recognize.
3
The scammer creates a sense of extreme urgency and insists on secrecy, pleading with the victim not to tell the grandchild's parents or anyone else. They may put a second person on the phone posing as a lawyer, police officer, or doctor to add legitimacy to the story.
4
The victim is instructed to send money immediately through untraceable methods. Scammers demand payment via wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or by sending a courier to the victim's home to pick up cash.
Red Flags
- You receive an unexpected call from a supposed relative who is in a state of panic or distress.
- The caller creates a sense of extreme urgency, pressuring you to act immediately without thinking.
- The caller begs you to keep the situation a secret and not tell other family members.
- You are asked to send money via wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or by giving cash to a courier.
- The caller's story seems inconsistent or they are vague when you ask questions that only the real relative would know.
- A supposed "lawyer" or "police officer" gets on the phone to pressure you and demand payment.
- The caller ID looks like it's from a family member, but scammers can easily fake or "spoof" phone numbers.
What to Do If Targeted
- Resist the urge to act immediately. Scammers intentionally create a sense of panic to prevent you from thinking clearly.
- Hang up the phone. Call your grandchild or the family member they claimed to be on a phone number you know is legitimate to verify their whereabouts.
- Contact other family members to check on the person who supposedly called you for help.
- Ask the caller personal questions that a stranger couldn't answer, such as the name of their first pet or a shared memory.
- Never send money via wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency based on an unexpected phone call.
- If you have already sent money, contact your bank, the wire transfer company, or the gift card company immediately to report the fraud and try to stop the payment.
How to Report It
- FTC — File a fraud report with the Federal Trade Commission to help with investigations.
- FBI IC3 — Report internet-related crime, including phone scams, to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- National Elder Fraud Hotline — Call the Department of Justice's hotline for victims age 60 or older.
- FCC — File a complaint about phone scams, robocalls, or unwanted calls with the Federal Communications Commission.
- AARP Fraud Helpline — Call 877-908-3360 for free support from trained fraud specialists. Available to anyone, not just AARP members.
Key Statistics
- In 2023, victims over the age of 60 reported losses of approximately $2.3 million to grandparent scams. — FBI IC3 2023 Elder Fraud Report
- Total fraud losses reported by adults over age 60 exceeded $3.4 billion in 2023, an 11% increase from 2022. — FBI IC3 2023 Elder Fraud Report
- In 2022, nearly 400 victims over the age of 60 reported losing approximately $3.8 million to grandparent scams. — FBI IC3 2022 Elder Fraud Report
- The average loss per victim over 60 across all fraud types was $33,915 in 2023. — FBI IC3 2023 Elder Fraud Report
- Imposter scams, the category that includes grandparent scams, are the most commonly reported type of fraud to the FTC. — AARP 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions
A grandparent scam is a form of imposter scam where a criminal calls an older person pretending to be their grandchild or another relative in distress. The scammer fabricates an urgent emergency, like an arrest or accident, to trick the victim into sending money immediately through untraceable methods like wire transfers or gift cards.
In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received over 200 complaints about grandparent scams from victims over age 60, with total losses of approximately $2.3 million. In 2022, nearly 400 victims over 60 reported losses of about $3.8 million to this specific scam.
Scammers often find personal information, including names of relatives, on social media sites like Facebook. In other cases, they may trick you into revealing the name by starting the call with a vague greeting like, "Hi Grandma," and waiting for you to guess who is calling.
Do not send money. Hang up immediately and call your grandchild directly on a phone number you know is theirs to verify the story. You should also contact other family members to confirm the situation before taking any action.
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