Ripoff Artists Target Grandparents
"Complaints are on the rise about a scam that preys on a grandparent’s love, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

A scammer calls posing as a grandchild in distress, and tries to put the squeeze on the grandparent to wire money for repairing a car, paying a fine, or getting out of trouble in a foreign country.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, has some advice to avoid being taken in by a supposed “family” member or a fake emergency: Check out the facts before you send money to anyone, anywhere – especially when wire transfers are involved. To learn more, see the consumer alert “A Scam Based on Relative-ity: Would-be Grandchildren Bilking Honest Grandparents”