Grandparent scam

A grandparent scam occurs when a scammer, usually in Canada, phones a senior citizen and pretends to be their grandchild. The scammer makes up a story of going to jail in Canada after getting drunk, and needs a couple thousand dollars for bail. But the "grandchild" doesn't want the grandparent to tell the child's parents. So the grandparent wires the money. A lot of times, the scammer has personal or family information on the real grandchild, probably from reading the local obituary in which family member names were listed, through a close contact, or from a social networking site.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in 2009 "grandchild" scammers pulled $4.5 million from the pockets of unsuspecting seniors this way. And most victims don't report the crime because they're too embarrassed to admit they got robbed.

And yes, I read AARP, 28 years before I'm eligible to join.