Grandson-in-Jail Scam

Also called the grandparent scam, this fraud relies on a phone call that opens with something like 'Grandma, it's me' and waits for the victim to supply a name, which the caller then uses for the rest of the conversation. The fabricated crisis is always urgent and embarrassing: a drunk-driving arrest, a car accident with an injured pedestrian, or a border-crossing problem, paired with a plea not to tell the parents. A second caller often poses as a lawyer, bail bondsman, or police officer to add authority and explain exactly how to send money.

The scam depends entirely on manufactured urgency and shame overriding the grandparent's normal skepticism. Payment is demanded through channels that are hard to reverse, such as wire transfer, gift cards, or a cash pickup courier, and the caller insists on secrecy to prevent the family from checking the story with each other.

The reliable countermeasure is to hang up and call the grandchild or another family member directly using a known phone number, never one provided by the caller, before sending anything.