The Old Cons Never Retire. They Just Learn New Tricks.
By Alexander Nury
Every October, when I receive emails and text reminders of the impending Halloween season, and coupons to buy candy for the trick-or-treaters, I think about a different kind of trick that has nothing to do with kids in costumes. Over the long years my wife and I have spent caregiving for her parents and mine, we've received more than one frantic phone call meant to separate someone we love from money they couldn't afford to lose. I’m referring to scams. I vividly recall when my mother once found herself on the phone with a "grandson" who pleaded for bail money to get out of jail in Mexico. The voice was slightly off, and he didn't sound quite right, but he apparently sounded close enough, and that was the whole trick. She was warned that if she told anyone, she would never hear from him again. Too scared to let me know, she forked over $3,500 via wire transfer and never saw it again.
Every October, when I receive emails and text reminders of the impending Halloween season, and coupons to buy candy for the trick-or-treaters, I think about a different kind of trick that has nothing to do with kids in costumes. Over the long years my wife and I have spent caregiving for her parents and mine, we've received more than one frantic phone call meant to separate someone we love from money they couldn't afford to lose. I’m referring to scams. I vividly recall when my mother once found herself on the phone with a "grandson" who pleaded for bail money to get out of jail in Mexico. The voice was slightly off, and he didn't sound quite right, but he apparently sounded close enough, and that was the whole trick. She was warned that if she told anyone, she would never hear from him again. Too scared to let me know, she forked over $3,500 via wire transfer and never saw it again.
You may remember Kim's story on this blog about her mother-in-law and the "Publishers' Clearing House" call that ended with $4,200 wired away from a Western Union counter in a grocery store. [Link to: "Why is a Nigerian Prince Calling Me?"] — That story is not ancient history; variations of it happen every single day. What's changed is how sophisticated the trick is. Before the phone rings, I think every family needs to recognize these predatory tactics and scams.
The Voice on the Other End Might Not Be Human
The scam I worry about most right now is built on artificial intelligence voice cloning. A scammer needs only a few seconds of someone's voice, often lifted from a public social media video, to craft a convincing voice replica. Then they call an unsuspecting grandparent, sounding panicked or terrified, claiming to be in trouble- an accident, an arrest, a stranded trip that requires "bail" or "medical" money wired immediately, and urging secrecy from the rest of the family. Reports of this exact scam have risen sharply this year, and the emotional pressure it creates – a loved one in crisis, right now, don't tell anyone – is what makes it so effective. It bypasses the skepticism that usually protects us, because fear moves faster than fact-checking and scammers bank heavily on that panic.
Old Costumes, New Tricks
Government impersonation calls have also gotten bolder. Callers now pose convincingly as a stern Social Security Administration, Medicare, or IRS representative, threatening either suspended benefits or an arrest warrant, unless a "verification fee" is paid on the spot. I shouldn’t have to re-emphasize that legitimate government agencies will never demand instant payment by gift card or wire transfer, and they will never threaten arrest over the phone. If your parent ever mentions a call like this or sounds shaken, that's the dead giveaway.
Then there are the pop-ups: a browser window will suddenly warn that a computer is "infected" and provide a number to call for immediate "tech support." The person on the other end asks for remote access to fix the problem, and once they're in, suffice it to say they're not fixing anything. Additionally, investment and cryptocurrency scams round out the list, often starting innocently on social media with a friendly stranger offering guaranteed returns. Older adults reported losing more funds to investment scams last year than to any other fraud category, frequently after being approached exactly this way.
What Has Actually Helped in Our Family
None of this means our parents need to fear every phone call. What has worked for us is less about vigilance and more about a plan, agreed on in advance, before anyone is scared or under pressure. We set up a family code word that only real family members know, something a scammer scraping a voice off social media could never guess. We agreed, out loud, that no one in our family will ever ask for money by phone, gift card, or wire transfer, full stop, so any request like that is automatically the trick, not the treat. We also made a habit of a simple pause: hang up, and call back the institution the caller says they are with (i.e., the Bank, credit card, IRS) directly on a number you already have access to, on the back of a credit card, in your address book, or other readily available sources.
If your parent does get caught in something, don't embarrass them. Embarrassment often keeps them silent in the future, compounding their pain. Reassure them, and contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-372-8311). This team is staffed specifically to help, and reporting it, even after the money is gone, helps investigators build cases against these networks and track down deceptive operations.
A Final Word
The best way to address this problem is to treat preparation as a fire drill; don't wait until the smoke alarm goes off to figure out the exit. Have a plan before they need it. Talk to your parents now, while it's calm, about what a real emergency call from you would sound like, and what it will never look like. In Chapter 9 of Survival Guide to Caring for Aging Parents, we go deeper into protecting your parents' finances and identity from exactly this kind of exploitation. The tricks keep evolving. The best treat we can give the people we love is a plan they already trust, long before they need it. The tactics may evolve, but surrounding our parents with a clear, trusted plan is the greatest security we can offer.