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In our last post, we discussed scams that often target adults in their 30s to 60s—those “get rich quick” investment schemes that promise easy money but end up draining your wallet. But fraudsters don’t stop there. They also target older adults with emotional scams that prey on trust and fear.

The scam: “Grandma, I’m in jail and I need someone to pay my bail to get me out!” a worried voice says quickly on the phone.
“Who is this?” is the most likely response.
“Come on, Grandma, don’t you recognize my voice?”

Not wanting to embarrass herself, Grandma replies, “Oh sure, I recognize your voice. What do you need?” She is then coached to wire money or buy cryptocurrency “as soon as you can, I don’t want to spend the night in jail” and send it to the instructed account. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad, they’d kill me,” the “grandchild” might add.

However, the “grandchild” is not actually a grandchild—it’s a scammer using fear tactics, creating a sense of urgency, and subtly playing on concerns about memory loss or dementia.

How to avoid it: Any time there’s urgent pressure to send money immediately, it’s likely a scam. Scammers count on fear overriding a person’s ability to reason, and unfortunately, they’re often right. If you receive one of these calls, contact your county office or local law enforcement to confirm whether your loved one is actually being detained. If they cannot confirm, it’s a scam.

The good news
Pioneer Bank is a team that combats fraud at every level—whether at the teller line, in the credit department, in upper management, or within compliance and internal audit. If you feel you are being scammed, we are here to help in whatever way we can.

This concludes our Cybersecurity Month blog series. Thank you for following along—our goal is to keep you informed and protected. Stay safe online, and remember, Pioneer Bank is always here to help.

Read Part 1 – How Scammers Target the Next Generation

Read Part 2 – Spotting Mid-Life Investment Scams