Don’t Become a Victim of the “Grandparent Scam”

What is the “grandparent scam” and how does it work?

Unfortunately, seniors are often the targets of scams looking to cheat them out of their money – often to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. Although it has been around for years, in recent months, there has been a resurgence in the number of seniors falling victim to the “grandparent scam.”

Typically, the “grandparent scam” works like this: you get a call from someone pretending to be your grandchild. This person explains that she is in trouble and needs money immediately. Perhaps she is in jail and needs money for bond or is stuck in a foreign country in needs money to get out. Typically the caller will include enough detail to make the story seem realistic. The “grandchild” will often ask you not to tell your child (their parent) that they are in trouble. They ask you to wire money to a specific location or to give it to a third party, who is usually someone posing as a lawyer or police officer. Once you wire the money, the scammers break off all contact – usually making it impossible to recover your losses.

There are many ways these scammers choose their targets. They may purchase “lead lists” with information about older people or people they can get lots of personal information about. Often, scammers peruse social media to find information about potential targets, such as whether they have grandchildren or how old they may be.

How to handle the scam it if happens to you

The first and most important step to take is not to panic if you get this type of call. Often the scammers call in the middle of the night, when you may not be thinking clearly and may be more likely to believe what you hear. Always verify the person’s identity by asking questions someone else could not answer – such as the name of their first pet. Call other family members to see if they have heard from your grandchild – or even try to call your grandchild’s personal telephone to see if they are okay. In no circumstances should you send money until you are absolutely positive that your grandchild is in trouble and that the money is going to the correct party.

If you realize you have been scammed after you have sent money but before it has been picked up, you may be able to retrieve it. Unfortunately, if the money has already been picked up, it is most likely gone for good – along with the scammers who took it.

How to protect yourself from being targeted by scammers

In order to prevent your email and computer from being hacked, use a firewall and anti-virus/anti-spyware software. Don’t open email attachments from strangers or even from friends and family when the attachment seems strange.

Make sure all of your social media accounts are private, so that scammers cannot see your personal information. And if you receive a telephone call from a number you don’t recognize, it may be best to screen the call until you determine it is legitimate.

Ask Kit Kat – What Can Horses See?

Hook Law Center: Kit Kat, what can you tell us about how horses see color and distance as compared with humans?

Kit Kat: Well, this is extremely interesting. Some new information is coming out of Britain. Research at the University of Exeter indicates that horses neither perceive color nor distance in the same way that humans do. Obviously, improving our understanding could not only make it safer for the horses, but for humans, too, who are riding or jumping on these majestic animals.

To examine how horses actually see, researchers at the University of Exeter did some research. What they found is that horses cannot tell the difference between reds, like true red and orange, and green. Therefore, the ubiquitous use of orange on crossbars and take-off boards for fences and hurdles is probably not very helpful for the horse. They see orange as green, so to use it as a marker is absolutely no help at all. Humans have three types of cone cells in their eyes, while horses only have two.

Also, according to other scientists such as Janel L. Jones, who has a Pd.D. in cognitive science and wrote an article in Equus magazine, horses cannot see items from as far away as humans do. What a human can see at 30 feet from an object, a horse can only see that same object when at a distance of 20 feet. With the speed at which horses are travelling, that could make a significant difference. Poor color perception combined with poor depth perception could be responsible for some of the accidents which occur at a track.

With this new information in hand, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will begin experimenting with different colors in some of their training locations and gathering input from trainers and riders. Already the use of white and yellow for fences and jumps has yielded improved data for the way the horses jumped. “If it’s clear that horses are confident, respectful of the fence and jumping cleaner and better, then the authority will look at rolling it out to a number of racetracks.” Traditional orange marking may be a thing of the past! Stay tuned.  (Bianca Britton, “New research on horse eyesight could improve racecourse safety,” www.CNN.com, October 23, 2018)

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