Brandon Police say the “Grandparent” Scam has been slightly altered and has now affected a local business.
Instead of calling grandparents pretending to be a grandchild in trouble requiring money – the scammers are twisting their ways and are calling local businesses.
Police say “in this recent incident in Brandon, they called in the evening when the boss/managers were off, and tricked unsuspecting employees giving them praise and encouragement for going above and beyond in their role to help maintain business and workflow.
The scammer proceeds to speak of the managers and bosses by name, which can be found by a quick google search or Facebook business page inquiry. The employees are led to believe the scammer truly knows this person/company. The scammer pretends to need assistance to proceed with a delivery. Staff then are instructed to get money from the safe, go to a Bitcoin machine location – and just like that the company is out money.”
Brandon police are warning business owners to be aware that scammers are getting more and more creative so always be cautious. BPS says, “talk to your people. Ensure that what a caller is presenting is truth before believing or acting on it.”
