Can you help me move? How about giving me a ride to the airport at 5 a.m. on a Saturday? Can you watch my gigantic Great Dane who eats his weight in food and leaves puddles of slobber wherever he goes?
Sometimes relatives can be a real pain in the neck.
That especially goes for fake relatives.
State Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office recently sent out a press release warning people about “relative” scams. McKenna says that people in Washington are losing thousands of dollars to con artists posing as relatives in need.
“You may have already heard the warnings and believe you’ll never become a victim, but have you talked to your family members, especially the seniors in your life? McKenna asked. “You could save your loved ones from joining the growing list of victims who have lost money because of wire transfer scams.”
The press release talks of one Tumwater couple who sent a stranger $2,600 because they were persuaded to believe the caller was their grandson.
The call went like this:
“Hi Grandma.”
The victim, who has several grandchildren, asked who was calling.
“Guess,” the con artist said.
“Kyle?”
“Yes, it’s Kyle.”
“Kyle” went on to weave a sad tale of being in stranded in Spain and in need of bail money because of a misunderstanding at the airport. The couple ended up sending him $2,600 and later found out they’d been scammed.
McKenna says look for these red flags: You’re asked to send money quickly and in secret. The call comes from overseas. The person can’t answer questions that only the real person would know. The caller asks you to send money by Western Union or Moneygram.
For tips on avoiding being duped by fake relatives check out the press release .
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