{"id":77730,"date":"2016-07-02T07:13:41","date_gmt":"2016-07-02T12:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=77730"},"modified":"2016-07-02T07:13:41","modified_gmt":"2016-07-02T12:13:41","slug":"ohio-a-g-warns-of-grandparents-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2016\/07\/02\/ohio-a-g-warns-of-grandparents-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio A-G warns of grandparents scam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine warns of phone scams targeting Ohio grandparents, following an increase in complaints.<\/p>\n

\"Ohio<\/a>
Attorney General Mike DeWine<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the past month, 11 Ohioans have reported losing an average of $3,800 to the \u201cgrandparent scam.\u201d\u00a0Most said they paid over the phone using iTunes gift cards after receiving a call saying their grandchild was in trouble.<\/p>\n

One man received a call from someone who claimed to be his granddaughter. The granddaughter supposedly was in jail and needed $2,000 in iTunes cards to be released. After the man paid, he realized it was a scam.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany grandparents will drop everything to help their grandchildren,\u201d Attorney General DeWine said. \u201cThat\u2019s why this scam works. It\u2019s terrible not only because of the money loss but because of the fear it instills in people. Our goal is to protect Ohio\u2019s families\u00a0and help them recognize the warning signs of a scam before it’s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the start of 2016, the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section has received about two dozen consumer complaints involving grandparent scams.<\/p>\n

The scam often begins with a phone call telling grandparents that one of their grandchildren has been in a car accident, caught with drugs, or put in jail.<\/p>\n

The caller pretends to be the grandchild, an attorney, or a law enforcement officer and tells the grandparent to send money to have the charges dismissed, to cover court costs, or to allow the grandchild to return home.<\/p>\n

The grandparent is told to go to the store right away, to buy several gift cards, and to read the card numbers over the phone. Using this information, the scammer drains the cards\u2019 funds almost instantly.<\/p>\n

As part of the scheme, grandparents often are instructed not to talk to other people (such as the grandchild\u2019s parents) about the problem. Callers may even threaten to shoot or harm the grandchild if the grandparent refuses to pay.<\/p>\n

If grandparents pay once, they likely will receive additional calls seeking more money, supposedly for attorney\u2019s fees or other unexpected costs. Eventually, grandparents discover that their grandchild was not truly in trouble.<\/p>\n

Attorney General DeWine encouraged consumers to take the following steps to protect against grandparent scams:<\/p>\n