Facebook Scam Targets Grandparents of Military Personnel
Categories: Breaking News, Crime
 |
| When Johnny comes marching home -- he'll be POed that grandma sent that scammer posing as him some cash |
As if military families needed one more problem, scam artists have been trawling through Facebook profiles to target grandparents of military personnel deployed in Iraq. The scammer poses as the grandchild, saying he or she is coming home from overseas early, but is stranded after a friend's car broke down. They ask for the grandparent to keep the visit a secret from the soldier's parents, since the visit is supposed to be a surprise. Then comes the kicker: In the meantime, would Grandpa mind wiring an incredibly large amount of money to cover the car repairs?
This ranks as a 7 out of 10 on the Snitch's scumbag-o-meter. The San Francisco Police Department issued a warning about the scam today -- yet spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka says the department hasn't received any reports of victims in the city. According to the Military Times, 12 instances of the scam nationwide have been reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, an FBI Web site for reporting cyber crime.
Police say anyone who is contacted by a scammer to call (415) 553-0123 to file a police report. Or contact the FBI here.
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
