Rockford BBB: Scammers Are Using AI To Target Grandparents

You might think that grandparents fill their days with cookie-baking and Matlock reruns because they've reached the age that they don't have all that much to worry about.

You'd be wrong about that.

In a quick survey of some grandparents that I know, I learned that instead of chocolate chips and legal dramas, they worry about things like:

• Health and medical issues
• Safety and security
• Family well-being
• Finances
• Loneliness and social connections
• Lifestyle and independence

One of the things that didn't make that list (but should have made it) is scammers using AI technology to raid their finances and personal information of all sorts. It's happening at an alarming rate, so much so that the Rockford Better Business Bureau has issued a warning.

High Tech "Grandparents Scams" In Illinois Have Become Very Realistic With Scammers Mimicking Voices Of A Victim's Loved Ones To Trick Them

Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says that the voice on the phone may sound exactly like your grandchild, but it could be a scam powered by AI.

With just a few seconds of audio, scammers can clone voices and fabricate entire conversations. Victims are often convinced they’re helping a loved one in crisis, when criminals are manipulating them. Social media sites enable scammers to research information and craft plausible stories. They may even incorporate nicknames, and real travel plans into the con to convince their targets.

These scams typically involve a call, text, or email from someone claiming to be a grandchild in urgent need, citing accidents, arrests, or medical emergencies. The messages often include personal details scraped from social media, making the deception even more convincing. In some cases, scammers reverse the tactic, posing as grandparents to target younger family members.

Here's What You Can Do To Help Protect Yourself Or Someone You Know Who Might Be A Target For This Type Of Scam

One of the most important and best moves you could make to protect yourself and/or your family is to create a family code-word or password. That password could be used in situations where you're not quite sure what's going on and you don't want to be taken.

Someone claiming to be a family member, but who doesn't know the family code-word, could be easily recognized as a scam artist.

Here are more suggestions from the Rockford BBB:

Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is. Check out the story with other family and friends but hang up or close the message and call your loved one directly. Don't call the phone number provided by the caller or caller ID. Ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer correctly.

Know what your family members are sharing online. You may not have control over
your family's social media accounts but familiarize yourself with what they share online
and what photos they may have posted.

Don't send money if you are unsure about the call. If the caller asks you to send money via a payment app or a gift card, do your homework to ensure that it's not a scam. If you wire money and later realize it is fraud, the police must be alerted.

If you are told that someone will come to your home to pick up the money, do not
answer your door and call the police immediately. This action could be part of the
scam, and the driver may not be aware that they are part of the fraud.