BBB is warning senior citizens to be aware of an emerging telephone scam that is preying on grandparents across North America.

BBB has recently received reports about grandparents in Canada who thought they were aiding their grandchildren by providing money for an emergency situation but were in fact giving thousands of dollars to Canadian con artists.

Generally, the scam works like this – the grandparent receives a distressed phone call from who they believe is their grandchild.

The supposed grandchild typically explains that they are traveling in Canada and have been arrestedor involved in an auto accident and need the grandparent to wire money to post bail or pay for damages—usually amounting to a few thousand dollars.

While many seniors have reported the scam without falling prey to it, unfortunately, many others have been victimized. One well-meaning grandmother sent $15,000 to scammers, thinking she was helping a grandchild who had been in an auto accident.

“This scam preys on the emotions of seniors who want to help their grandchildren,” says Chris Lawrence, CEO of BBB Serving Central and Northern Alberta. “We want people to take a step back when they are called, and verify who they are speaking to is a relative and not a scamster.”

The scammers’ basic tactic is to pose as a grandchild and let the unsuspecting grandparent fill in the blanks. For example, the scam caller might say, “It’s me, your favorite grandchild,” to which the grandparent will guess the name of the grandchild it sounds the most like, and then the call proceeds from there.

To protect themselves from this scam, BBB would like to offer the following information:

Confirm identity.

BBB is advising seniors to confirm the status of the individual by calling them directly or verifying the story with other family members before taking any further action.

Wiring money is a red flag.

BBB also advises that any request to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram should be seen as a “red flag” and an immediate tip-off that the call may be part of a scam. Funds sent via wire transfer are hard to track once received by scammers and are usually not recoverable by law enforcement or banking officials.

If you are a victim report it.

For anyone victimized by this type of distressed loved-one call, BBB recommends reporting the incident immediately to local police departments and contact Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre’s PhoneBusters, a hotline and Web site to report such fraud. Reports can be filed easily online through the PhoneBusters site at: www.phonebusters.com, or by phone, toll free at, 1-888-495-8501.

This consumer tip is provided by BBB Serving Cental and Northern Alberta. Click here for more consumer tips.