Scammer tells elderly woman her grandson is in jail — she outsmarts him with one clever question

The pace at which everything from banking to shopping and social interactions have gone online made it difficult for older generations to keep up. But scammers have been up to date with the latest tech which they consistently use for innovative schemes to siphon off money. One of their elderly targets was an 84-year-old grandma named Mabel Harold, who defied preconceived notions when she turned the tables on the scammer who tried to trick her by claiming that her grandson was in jail, according to CTV News.

It was just another Tuesday until the woman got a call from a man who claimed that her teenage grandson, Mitchell, was in jail, and asked her to send $8,000 to get him out. Harold was understandably distressed by the news and wanted to help her grandson, but after giving it more thought, she realized that the story lacked conviction.

The caller said that Mitchel was driving with his friends when was pulled over by the police and was arrested for being in possession of illegal drugs. While Harold was really worried for her grandson, her instincts told her to do her due diligence before proceeding. She then decided to ask the caller a simple yet very clever question, "What’s my grandson's last name?"

The caller then hesitated which gave her the answer that she wanted. He eventually simply disconnected the phone after he couldn't provide her with an answer. Soon she called her son and asked about Mitchell's whereabouts and was relieved to know that he was safe at home.

Turns out this was not the first time Harold was targeted by scammers. Just a year ago, she received a call from a scammer pretending to be her grandson, while another posing as an "RCMP officer" said she needed to pay $7,500 for his release. In that incident, the scammers even sent a taxi to her home to drive her to the bank. Thinking that it was a matter of life and death, Harold decided to go to the bank. However, when she was getting down from the car she asked the driver, "Who’s paying for this cab?" He answered that she would be paying for the cab. She then realized that this was not how the police operated and simply turned around and went back home. Harold's experiences serve as an important reminder for everyone to trust their instincts and avoid making major decisions while they are panicking.

Outsmarting Fraudsters

While it's almost impossible to protect your data from hackers and scammers, it's still best to always think twice before doling out information to people. Secondly, it's important to remember that when somebody is offering incentives that sound too good to be true, there's a good chance they are. It's also important to stay informed about the latest technologies such as AI which can be misused by scammers.

According to Forbes, the most important part of detecting scams is skepticism. Other healthy practices include using strong passwords that do not include your name or your birth date. It's also important to keep your devices updated as cybercriminals love exploiting loopholes in outdated software.