BEWARE of Florida Grandparents Scam

Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Florida seniors about a grandparent scam, where criminals are posing as lawyers or representatives of the victim’s grandchildren.

Under the scam, criminals are making up stories of grandchildren being in legal trouble and stealing money from grandparents who think they are helping loved ones.

Six fraudsters were recently arrested, after stealing more than 250 thousand dollars from seniors across the state.

Attorney General Moody says it’s much easier for people to protect themselves on the front end, prior to sending money, rather than after a bogus transaction has been made. “This would not happen. You would never have somebody, in a high-pressure way, demanding that you come up with cash to get your grandchild out of jail. But remember, these fraudsters and these criminals are very sophisticated.”

Anyone who thinks they are the victim of a scam can call the attorney general’s office at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.