MA Residents Should be on High Alert for This Scam During the Holidays

It's something we have to live with every day...scams. While scams have been around for decades, the sophistication of technology makes it more difficult to catch the individual or party behind the scams. One particular scam that tends to happen and has happened quite often in Massachusetts is the Grandparents Scam of Grandchild in Jail scam.

What is the Grandparents Scam?

According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, William Galvin, the Grandparents Scam usually follows this type of scenario:

 The victim receives a call supposedly from a grandchild in trouble. The “grandchild” is calling from a friend's cell phone and he's gotten into a bad situation, like being arrested for drugs, getting in a car accident, or being mugged. He's out of state or in a foreign country and needs his grandparent to wire some money as soon as possible. The “grandchild” begs that his parents not be told.

It's important to be on alert for the Grandparents Scam especially around the holidays as it would be believable that a grandchild is traveling around to different areas for the holidays, hence the individual would have a greater chance of getting into trouble where he/she would need money to be bailed out of jail or a bad situation.

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The grandparent's scam has been making its way around cities and towns throughout Massachusetts for the past several months including Berkshire County, Beverly, Roxbury, Andover, Dracut, and others within the commonwealth. It's a good idea to be aware that this scam is out there. Losing money especially around the holidays is no good for anyone.

I remember over the years, my mother telling me how she would have to keep a close eye on my grandmother and warn her over and over again of these types of scams. Quite often my grandmother would receive phone calls from individuals pretending to be in trouble or claim he/she is from a legitimate group that is in need of money. I've also had friends in the Berkshires whose grandparents fell for this type of scam. The best thing you can do for yourself and your senior citizen friends is get educated and educate them on these scams.

As listed on the website of the Secretay of the State of Massachusetts, here are some ways you can protect yourself and others from the Grandparents scam:

You can get more information on the Grandparent's scam including a host of scenarios, red flags, and more by going here.

While we're talking about Massachusetts, let's take a look at some celebrities who were born in the Bay State.

How about we take a look at some movies that were filmed in Massachusetts including the Berkshires.