82-Year-Old Falls Victim to ‘Grandparent Scam,’ Loses More Than $700,000

It’s always important to check on your grandparents, especially when criminals are running “grandparent scams” that could potentially cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As reported by the Associated Press, a Florida grandmother was a victim of this same ploy when unidentified scammers convinced the 82-year-old that her granddaughter was in legal trouble and needed money immediately. The scammers told the older woman to go to her local bank and make withdrawals to deliver to a courier.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the scammers convinced the grandmother to withdraw the money by putting her on the phone with a woman, and telling her it was her granddaughter. The imposter then told her that she was just in a car accident and needed immediate funding to cover legal costs. A fake lawyer was put on the phone and told the grandmother how much money they would need. The Florida woman ended up making 13 withdrawals over the summer, totaling over $700,000.

Investigators began seeking information from Uber because they were able to track rideshares to the woman’s house that she did not call. They are currently trying to “assist with providing information to who purchased the rideshares and where the victim’s funds actually went,” according to the court documents.

The newspaper also reported that an Uber spokeswoman said that the company is in touch with the Sheriff’s Office to help with the investigation.

The woman’s lawyer also filed a civil lawsuit in September against Truist Bank for alleged negligence for letting the woman make large and unusual withdrawals even after red flags were raised.