Report a
grandparent scam.

The grandparent scam is one of the most emotionally manipulative frauds in existence. A phone call comes in — the voice on the other end sounds panicked, young, and is calling you "Grandma" or "Grandpa." They say they've been in a car accident, arrested, or hospitalized, and they need money immediately. Then they say the words that seal the trap: "Please don't tell Mom and Dad."

Before AI voice cloning, these calls relied on vague impersonations and the victim filling in the blanks ("Is this Jake?" "Yes, Grandma, it's Jake!"). Now, scammers can clone a grandchild's voice from a few seconds of social media audio. The call sounds exactly like the real person, making it exponentially harder to detect. The FBI reported that AI-enhanced emergency scams have surged dramatically.

The typical playbook

The call follows a script: the "grandchild" is crying and panicked, describes an accident or arrest, then hands the phone to a "lawyer" or "police officer" who calmly explains that bail is needed immediately. The "lawyer" gives specific instructions: withdraw cash, buy gift cards, or wire money. Some operations send a courier to the victim's home to collect cash in person — these couriers are often recruited through their own scam (employment fraud) and may not even know they're part of a criminal operation.

The family code word defense

The single most effective defense against grandparent scams is a family code word. Choose a word or phrase that only your family knows — something that would never appear on social media. If someone calls claiming to be a family member in trouble, ask for the code word. If they can't provide it, hang up and call your family member directly at their known number. Share this strategy with every elderly person in your life before they become a target.