Grandma Gets Scammed
Erin West shares the story of how her mother-in-law was manipulated in a sweepstakes scam.
Episode 34: The congratulatory email from Publishers Clearing House was convincing. So convincing that even with family support and her own awareness of scams, Erin West’s mother-in-law, Grammy, was caught in a gift-card scam. The scammers were so effective that she doubted family members and Target employees who tried to help.
Erin shares her family’s experience and the tactics scammers used to steal from Grammy and override both her own suspicions and the guidance of family members.
“This Publisher’s Clearing House email caught her eye, and she responded. Within hours, she was fully enmeshed in a scam that involved multiple people and hundreds of minutes on the phone.”
When Grammy went to Target to buy dozens of gift cards, store employees advised her that it could be a scam. Why was she buying these gift cards? They asked her multiple questions, but the scammers had coached her about what to say. She followed that coaching to the letter, which shows how much control the scammers have over people.
Another example: Her son spoke to her late one evening and told her he’d be at her house in the morning to help sort out what was happening. Before he arrived, she had been in contact with the scammer and told them her son was on the way. They talked her into going out to Target and trying to buy more gift cards.
Erin discusses the broader implications of scams and the need for awareness and education. She highlights the importance of community support and collaboration in combating scams, and expresses her commitment to exploring solutions and innovations in the fight against these fraudulent activities in 2026.
Episode Chapters
00:20 Reflections on Family and Travel
01:07 The Scamdemic: A Personal Story
03:56 Understanding the Mechanics of Scams
09:06 The Aftermath: Ongoing Scams and Solutions
13:30 Looking Ahead: Solutions and Innovations
Useful Links
National Cybersecurity Alliance: Online Safety Tips for Older Adults
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Sponsors of Stolen
BioCatch prevents financial crime by recognizing patterns in human behavior, continuously collecting 3,000 anonymized data points – keystroke and mouse activity, touch screen behavior, physical device attributes, and more – as people interact with their digital banking platforms. With these inputs, BioCatch's models reveal patterns that distinguish the criminal from the legitimate.
Scamnetic is a leader in AI-powered scam detection and prevention, protecting individuals, businesses, and financial institutions from digital scams. With solutions like KnowScam and IDeveryone, Scamnetic delivers real-time scam insights, identity verification, and intervention. Restoring trust, reducing losses, and empowering organizations to safeguard customers in an increasingly complex digital world.
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