Senior Citizens: A Popular Target of Telephone Scammers

Online, August 30, 2013 (Newswire.com) - One of the oldest and most frequently committed scams in the world of telecommunication is still avidly practiced. As the so-called "grandma scam" targets primarily senior citizens, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asks all seniors to be cautious about calls from strangers, especially if the caller requests money.

In an attempt to play on grandparents' heartstrings, con artists call elderly people and claim to be a grandchild that has gotten into trouble and now needs the financial aid of their supposed grandparent. Many of the reasons why seniors in particular are targeted stem from presumptions about their upbringing and mindset: the scammers try to exploit the well-meaning, caring and trusting nature as well as the possible forgetfulness of older citizens, hoping that their victim won't realize that he or she has been duped - or that when they do it will be too late.

With senior citizens accounting for a steadily increasing portion of the US population, they have become a rather popular target of telephone scammers. As more and more seniors embrace the vast advancing technology, they become more accessible to the con artists who often work from outside the US to cover their tracks. Collecting and discussing telephone numbers regarding their trustworthiness, affected users have reported a multitude of numbers on anti-spam communities such as www.tellows.com
. One of the more recently noticed numbers includes 4389894013, 5145685650, 4387653430 and 8888912113.

In order to prevent falling a victim to the scam, elderly people should refrain from offering names or personal information, especially including facts that the supposed relative should already know. Moreover, one should remain calm even if the person on the other end of the line attempts to pressure one into action and not give into requests to transfer or wire money before checking with other relatives to confirm the story.

If you suspect to be the target of a scam, do not hesitate to report the crime immediately to law enforcement officials. It is also advisable to alert your parents or grandparents to the possible risks of scam callers and how they operate.