Is a 'family member stranded abroad' call real?
Treat it as suspicious. The 'grandparent scam' and variants convince people a relative is in trouble and needs emergency money — verify directly before sending anything.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Explanation
In this scam, a caller claims to be a grandchild, child, or other family member who is stranded, arrested, hospitalised, or in trouble abroad and urgently needs money. The scammer may have found enough information about your family online to sound convincing, or may coach you to fill in details yourself by asking vague leading questions.
The call may also involve a second 'authority figure' — a lawyer, police officer, or embassy official — who reinforces the story and explains how to send money. Wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards are typically requested because they are fast and hard to reverse.
Before sending anything, hang up and call the family member directly on a number you already have. If you can't reach them, call another relative who could verify their whereabouts.
Common red flags
- Unexpected call from a 'relative' who sounds distressed and different from usual
- Caller provides few specific details and encourages you to guess or fill in the story
- Request for money via wire transfer, crypto, or gift cards
- A second caller ('lawyer', 'police officer') backs up the story
- Instructions to keep the matter secret from other family members
- Urgency — 'they'll be held overnight if you don't pay within the hour'
What to do now
- Hang up and call the family member directly on a number you already have
- Contact another family member to verify the story before sending anything
- Do not send money via wire, crypto, or gift cards based on a phone call
- Report the call to your national fraud service
- Alert elderly relatives to this type of scam
Frequently asked questions
The caller sounded exactly like my grandchild. Could it really be them?
AI voice-cloning technology can produce convincing imitations from a short audio clip. Sounding like someone is not proof of identity — call them back on a number you already know.
What if I can't reach the family member to verify?
Contact another relative or trusted person who might know their whereabouts. Do not send money until you have independently confirmed the situation.