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After Lyndsey’s grandma got scammed, Lyndsey and Kelly talk about how to get woke and protect your grams.
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Great episode. My father suffered through a similar scam about five years ago when he was 89 years old. He was targeted through his grandchildren by their Facebook postings (school, age, etc.) He was embarrassed to admit it until I noticed the withdrawals from his bank account—luckily, I had online access and I checked daily. Because he could not drive, his care giver (a relative) drove him to the banks and money order locations to allow the scam to occur.
Lady Brains is a great podcast, and I tell many of my friends to listen.
p.s. more Welby and Oxley
Thank you Norman! One thing I neglected to mention on the episode is that these people who scam are quite literally psychopaths—they have no human empathy or remorse whatsoever. There is no way they’d be able to do this to the most vulnerable people otherwise. And yes, many people are embarrassed to admit it which is why it’s so important we talk about it and spread the word – they shouldn’t feel ashamed for loving their families and trying to do what they think is right.
I’m only halfway through and so upset! I hope your grandma is doing okay! Are you going to pursue a scamming or an elder abuse suit?
My cousin has a well-known business and this happened to my grandparents. “Hey, this is your grandson, ——! I’m stranded in Mexico and need your help!” My grandpa got wise and said, “Oh, really? Then who plowed my driveway this morning?” The jerk hung up, and thankfully my grandparents are sharp still, but things like this make me really upset I live so far away and can’t keep tabs on them. I like how @lyndsey jumped into action remotely, though! Doing an audit of contact information and accounts or anything else that could be preventative is probably good advice for anyone at any age, to be honest.
Really, if you have grandparents, parents, or extended family who are older, just call and visit as often as you can. Not only can you help prevent these things from happening, but it really makes them happy, too.
Thank you!! We are working with the police and trying to find out who did this but they’re SO good at covering their tracks. And yes – the great benefit of calling grandma all the time is… she loves it!
What was the name of the book? I don’t see it here. I missed the name and author when you said it. Thank you
Ah you’re right – I forgot to put it in the show notes! It’s the Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick!
Ordered. I haven’t listened to this podcast yet (starting to listen as I type this), but that doesn’t keep me from commenting now!
Another interesting book about privacy is Your Secrets Are My Business by Kevin McKeon. This guy explains how easy it is for anyone to find out anything about you. Scary stuff . . .