Family & Emergency Scams
Learn how to recognize and protect yourself from scams that exploit your concern for loved ones.
What are Family & Emergency Scams?
Emergency scams are deceptive tactics where scammers pretend to be a family member or someone representing them who is in urgent trouble and needs immediate financial help.
These scams specifically target the natural instinct to help loved ones in crisis. The scammer creates a convincing emergency scenario and pressures you to act quickly without verifying their identity or story.
Scammers typically request money for scenarios such as:
- Posting bail after an arrest
- Paying hospital bills after an accident
- Covering emergency travel expenses
- Resolving a problem while traveling abroad
- Paying legal fees for an urgent situation
Common Types of Family & Emergency Scams
These scams come in several forms, each designed to create immediate emotional distress:
Grandparent Scam
Scammers call pretending to be a grandchild in trouble, often late at night when you might be disoriented.
They'll say "Hi Grandma/Grandpa, do you know who this is?" hoping you'll guess a name they can use.
Relative In Trouble Scam
Similar to the grandparent scam but targeting any family relationship and often using information gathered from social media.
Scammers might impersonate children, siblings, cousins or other relatives.
Authority Figure Impersonation
Scammers claim to be an attorney, police officer, doctor, or embassy official representing your family member.
This adds an air of legitimacy and can be particularly convincing to victims.
Accident Emergency Scam
Callers claim your loved one has been in a serious accident and needs immediate financial assistance for medical care.
They may use fake hospital noises in the background to make the call seem more realistic.
Kidnapping/Threat Scam
An extreme version where scammers claim to have kidnapped a family member and demand ransom money.
They may use screams or cries in the background to create urgency and fear.
Stranded Traveler Scam
Scammers hack email or social media accounts to send messages claiming your friend or relative is stranded abroad and needs money.
They often claim the person has lost their wallet, passport, or had belongings stolen.
Why Emergency Scams Are Effective
These scams exploit powerful emotional triggers that can override logical thinking:
Psychological Tactics Used
Emotional Manipulation
By targeting your concern for loved ones, scammers create a powerful emotional response that can cloud judgment.
Urgency and Time Pressure
Scammers emphasize that the situation is dire and requires immediate action, limiting your time to think or verify.
Authority Pressure
By involving supposed authority figures like lawyers or police, scammers add credibility and pressure to comply.
Information Gathering Techniques
Social Media Mining
Scammers research family relationships, travel plans, and personal details through public social media profiles.
Vague Information Fishing
They start with vague questions ("Do you know who this is?") to get you to volunteer names and relationships.
Exploiting News Events
Scammers may reference recent disasters, protests, or travel disruptions to make scenarios more believable.
Why These Scams Target Seniors
Older adults are frequently targeted for emergency scams because:
- They often have grandchildren or adult children who might travel or live far away
- They typically have financial resources available for emergencies
- They may be more likely to respond to an emotional appeal to help family
- They might be less familiar with verification methods like video calls
- They may have less contact with family members, making verification more difficult
Anatomy of a Grandparent Scam: Red Flags to Watch For
Let's examine a typical emergency scam conversation to identify the warning signs:
Warning Signs in This Conversation
Vague Greeting
The caller starts with "Hi Grandma, it's your grandson" without stating a name, hoping you'll provide one.
Request for Secrecy
"Please don't tell Mom and Dad" is a classic attempt to prevent you from verifying the story with other family members.
Emotional Distress
The caller sounds upset or different from normal, which they explain away as being due to the emergency situation.
Urgent Money Request
Asking for money to be sent immediately through wire transfer, money order, or gift cards—methods that are difficult to trace or recover.
Transfer to "Authority Figure"
Having a supposed lawyer, doctor, or police officer get on the call to add credibility and pressure.
How to Protect Yourself from Emergency Scams
Follow these practices to verify emergency situations and avoid being scammed:
Ask Verification Questions
Ask questions only the real person would know, but that aren't available on social media (like a pet's name from childhood or a family-specific memory).
Contact Directly
Hang up and call your family member directly using a number you know is theirs, even if the caller says not to.
Verify With Others
Contact other family members to confirm the person's whereabouts, even if you've been told to keep the situation secret.
Request Video Chat
Ask to switch to a video call to confirm identity. Most people have smartphones capable of video calls now.
Create a Family Password
Establish a code word or password known only to family members that can be used to verify identity in emergencies.
Reject Pressure Tactics
Legitimate emergencies still allow time for proper verification. Don't let anyone rush you into sending money.
The Golden Rule for Emergency Scams
Always verify the emergency directly with your family member or through other trusted family contacts before sending any money, no matter how urgent the situation seems.
Red Flag Payment Methods
Be especially cautious if you're asked to send money using these methods:
Wire Transfers
Services like Western Union or MoneyGram are popular with scammers because transfers are quick and difficult to reverse once sent.
Gift Cards
Requests for gift card numbers and activation codes are huge red flags—no legitimate emergency is resolved with gift cards!
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly requested by scammers because transactions are irreversible and difficult to trace.
Money Orders
Similar to wire transfers, money orders are difficult to track once sent and don't require the recipient to have a bank account.
Peer-to-Peer Apps
Payment apps like Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle are increasingly used in scams as they offer limited fraud protection.
Prepaid Cards
Reloadable prepaid cards function similarly to gift cards and are difficult to recover once the information is shared.
Remember:
In a genuine emergency involving a family member:
- There are usually official channels to pay for bail, medical bills, or legal fees
- You would typically have the option to pay with a credit card or check
- You would be given time to verify the situation and make arrangements
- You would be able to speak directly to your family member
A request to send money quickly through untraceable methods is almost always a sign of a scam.
Real-World Emergency Scam Scenarios
Be aware of these common emergency scam scenarios:
What to Do If You've Been Contacted
If you receive an emergency call or message about a family member:
Immediate Steps
- Stay calm - Scammers rely on emotional responses that override logical thinking
- Do not send money immediately, no matter how urgent the situation sounds
- Tell the caller you will call them back (then don't use the number they provide)
- Hang up and contact your family member directly using a number you already have
- Call other relatives who might know your family member's whereabouts
- Ask verification questions that a scammer wouldn't know the answers to
- Be wary of requests for secrecy - this is almost always a red flag
If You Suspect It's a Scam
- Report the call to local law enforcement
- Contact the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or 1-877-382-4357
- Report phone scams to the Federal Communications Commission at fcc.gov
- Report email scams to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
- Warn other family members about the scam so they aren't targeted next
- Save any information about the scammer, such as phone numbers or email addresses
International Travel Note:
If your family member is actually traveling internationally and you're concerned, contact:
- The U.S. State Department's Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747
- The U.S. embassy or consulate in the country where they are traveling
What to Do If You've Already Sent Money
If you've already sent money to someone you now suspect is a scammer:
Act Quickly
The sooner you act, the better your chances of recovering your money:
- Wire Transfers: Contact the wire transfer service (Western Union, MoneyGram) immediately to try to stop the transfer if it hasn't been picked up yet
- Gift Cards: Contact the gift card issuer and report the cards as stolen
- Credit Cards: Contact your credit card company to dispute the charges
- Bank Transfers: Contact your bank immediately to try to recall the transfer
- Payment Apps: Report the fraud to the app's customer service department
File Reports
Report the scam to the appropriate authorities:
- Contact your local police department to file a report
- Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
- Contact your state's attorney general's office
- If you sent money internationally, contact IC3 or the US Secret Service
Beware of Recovery Scams
After being scammed, you may be targeted by "recovery services" claiming they can help get your money back for a fee. These are usually secondary scams. Legitimate recovery assistance typically doesn't require payment upfront.
Create a Family Emergency Communication Plan
Establish a plan with your family to prevent emergency scams:
Establish a Family Password
Create a code word or phrase that only family members know. In an emergency, the caller should be able to provide this password.
Choose something memorable but not easily guessable or found on social media.
Create a Contact Protocol
Agree on a verification process for emergency situations, such as calling another family member to confirm or using video calls for verification.
Document this protocol and share it with all family members.
Maintain an Emergency Contact List
Keep an updated list of direct phone numbers for all close family members and their friends.
Include alternative contacts for each person who could verify their whereabouts.
Family Discussion Points
Discuss these topics with your family:
- Share information about common scams so everyone is aware
- Agree that emergency financial requests will always be verified through multiple channels
- Establish a policy of being open about travel plans and keeping family informed of whereabouts
- Discuss the importance of privacy settings on social media accounts to limit information available to scammers
- Make sure everyone knows it's always OK to take time to verify identities in an emergency
Helping Others Avoid Emergency Scams
Share your knowledge to protect vulnerable friends and family:
Helping Older Family Members
- Discuss emergency scams openly and without judgment
- Share examples of real scams and how to spot them
- Help create a verification system for emergency requests
- Offer to be a "verification buddy" who can be called when suspicious contacts occur
- Make sure they have up-to-date contact information for all family members
- Role-play emergency scenarios to practice responses
- Set up caller ID and call blocking for common scam numbers
Community Awareness
- Share information about emergency scams with your broader community
- Alert neighbors if a scam is targeting your local area
- Consider organizing an information session at your local senior center
- Share our printable resources with community groups
- Report scams to local authorities to help them build awareness
- Post information about current scams on community bulletin boards
- Consider setting up a community alert system for local scams
Discussing Scams Effectively
When talking about scams with others, especially older adults:
- Be respectful and avoid condescending language
- Focus on the sophisticated techniques scammers use rather than victim vulnerability
- Share stories about scams in a matter-of-fact way without judgment
- Emphasize that scams target people of all ages and backgrounds
- Make it clear that falling for a scam is not a reflection of intelligence or competence
- Create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable discussing suspicious contacts
Think You're Being Targeted by an Emergency Scam?
If you've received a suspicious emergency call or message, or if you've already sent money, we're here to help.