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Phone Call From Grandkids Might Be A Scam: DATCP

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This time of the year when many people travel to warmer places and young people go on spring break is a prime time for an on-going telephone scam called the "Grandparent Scam".

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection(DATCP) spokesperson Jerad Albracht outlines the scam...

"....someone who gets a call out of the blue who claims to be a relative of the potential victim and tells the potential victim that they're in jail or they've been in an accident, they are in some sort of situation and they need money quickly. One facet of the scam is the scammer will also try to convince the victim to not contact anyone else for help.They say, 'I'm in trouble but please don't call the police, please don't call my parents...."

The scammers are believable enough that many people get duped into sending the mone

y. Albracht says the spring break time often finds an increase in activity....

"...if you're at home and you get a phone call that sounds suspicious, don't trust it. Your best bet and we keep hearing from people on our hotline who keep from getting ripped off by this scam, they all say they hung up and dialed the relative or family member to check in...

Albracht says some families have put together a plan in case this type of phone call comes in. He says they share the traveler's itinerary and contact information. He says they come up with a code word or phase to expect if they received a legitimate call from a traveling relative in distress.

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