Better Business Bureau warns of new scam targeting parents of college students
BOSTON - The Better Business Bureau says they're seeing an uptick locally of a scam that targets parents of college students called the "emergency scam."
It gets its name from the urgency the scammer uses to try and get money out of you. Here's how it usually works:
- The scammer calls or texts you.
- They claim that your child has been arrested and needs bail money sent right away.
- The scammer wants you to send the money via payment apps, such as Venmo or PayPal.
Paula Fleming, the Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for the BBB of Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, says this scam is a twist on the more commonly known "grandparent scam."
"In recent findings, you know, people have conveyed that not only are they being sent a text of all the information about their child...in some cases, a picture of their child—and they're requesting Paypal or Venmo for their bail bond. Or then they're going to be put into the general population, and they instill fear by saying, 'Well, if they go in today, you can't even reach them till Monday.' We need the money right now to ensure that doesn't happen. So, the fear kicks in," Fleming explained to WBZ.
The Better Business Bureau said the most important thing to remember here, which is easier said than done, is to resist the urge to respond to the scammer right away. Instead:
- Call your child or loved one directly
Reach out to police or campus police on your own as well
It's also helpful to have a general sense of what your children are posting online, so scammers can't use it to try to sound authentic during conversation.
Artificial Intelligence adds another layer to this scam, too.
The FTC warned, earlier this year, about scammers using voice cloning to copy your loved one's voice.
You can read more about that here.
"If you want to keep a tab on what's happening in our communities, visit bbb.org/scamtracker. And if you unfortunately have been targeted or are the victim of a scam, you can report it there, so we can work together as a community to make sure we're protecting our finances and personal information," said Fleming.
