Scams To Warn Your Grandparents About In New York

Scammers are the lowest of the low, and they're looking to target people like your parents and grandparents. Here are some to warn them about so they're prepared when scammers come calling.

It's hard for everyone to know what's real, and what's not these days. There is so much misinformation out there on the internet. Scammers know this, and they're trying to take advantage of it. They'll confuse people and make them question their own judgement.

Right now, there are a couple of scams that your grandparents should know about.

Be aware of this DMV scam

One way that scammers are making money is by sending fraudulent text messages claiming to be the DMV. They'll tell a victim that they have overdue traffic violations and then threaten to take their license or registration away.

This could be alarming to just about anyone with a license, but imagine how it would affect an older person. The last thing they want is to be without their license so they respond to the message or click on a link to get it cleared up. Warn them NOT TO DO THIS. They can always call the DMV directly to clear up any misunderstanding.

There are also a number of IRS scams active

Another way that scammers will fool your grandparents are with scams about their taxes. Again, the last thing that people want to do is get in trouble for not paying their taxes. So they'll do just about anything to clear it up.

The scammers will call and impersonate IRS agents using spoofed caller IDs and A.I. generated voices. Tell them not to fall for it. The IRS usually initiates contact by mail and they will not demand immediate payment or threaten to have people arrested on the phone.

See a full list of the "Dirty Dozen" tax scams here.

Warn your grandparents BEFORE they get taken

It always feels like these scams happen in other places, but they're happening right here in New York State. Now is the time to warn your family members and make them aware that they're out there. It's ok that they're skeptical of people on the phone or in their email boxes. It's better to have them aware than to try to pick up the pieces after something has happened.