A family in Plainfield, Ill., nearly lost $11,000 to thieves using the 'grandchild scam' and one time codes provided by PNC Bank to non-customers.
PLAINFIELD, Ill. -- An elaborate ruse known as the"grandchild scam" is being used to fool grandparents and other loved ones into sending thousands of dollars to criminals.
The scammer called Kocher's mother pretending to be the teen in question; the family said the thief may have known the boy's parents were out of town from a social media post, making the story more believable. Kocher thought the story was plausible.Todd Kossow, Federal Trade Commission, explains some red flags to watch out for when a scammer is asking you to pay them.
"That allowed the scam to take place. At my own bank that I bank, I need the bank card or I need my smartphone at the terminal. I have to show that terminal some kind of identification to the customer," Kocher explained.When the family couldn't find their loved one in jail, they realized they had been scammed. They said they immediately contacted PNC Bank, which said it was investigating the deposit.
PNC told the I-Team it"does not comment on customer matters," but that,"generally speaking... the length of time an investigation may take depends on the complexity of the situation."
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