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Set the privacy settings on your social media accounts so that only people you know can access your posts and photos. Scammers search Facebook, Instagram and other social networks for family information they can use to deceive you. |
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Ask questions someone else is unlikely to be able to answer, such as the name and type of your grandchild’s first pet. |
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Say you’ll call right back, then call your grandchild’s usual phone number. With luck, he or she will answer, and you’ll know that the call is a scam. |
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Contact other family members or friends and see if they can verify the story. Scammers plead with you to keep the emergency a secret precisely so you won’t try to confirm it. |
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If you have been targeted or victimized by the grandparent scam, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1‑877‑908‑3360 for guidance and support. |