Grandparent scam
grandma scam · grandchild emergency scam
What it means
The caller may claim to be arrested, injured, stranded, or unable to use a normal phone. AI voice cloning makes the opening sound more personal, while a second scammer posing as a lawyer or officer reinforces the emergency.
How to protect yourself
- Never supply the relative’s name first.
- Ask for the family’s private codewords.
- Call the real relative or another family member using a known number.
Explore the topic guides
Related terms
Related Trust Onion reading
AI Can Clone Your Grandchild's Voice. It Can't Know the Words.
AI voice cloning has made grandparent scams harder to detect. One mother lost $5,400. A simple family codeword can stop the scam in seconds.
Case studyMoncton Man Jailed 33 Months for Grandparent Scam Targeting 20 Elderly Americans
A Moncton, N.B., defendant sentenced to 33 months in U.S. federal prison for a grandparent scam that defrauded roughly 20 elderly victims of $256,000.
BlogMoncton Man Jailed 33 Months for Grandparent Scam Ring
A Moncton defendant got 33 months in U.S. federal prison for running a grandparent scam that stole $256,000 from about 20 elderly Americans.
BlogFour Seniors Lost $50K to One Scammer Pretending to Be Family
A 29-year-old Edmonton man defrauded four seniors in their 80s out of $50,000+ by posing as their grandson. Here's how three words could stop this cold.
BlogWisconsin Seniors Lose $38K Per Scam. AI Is Why.
Wisconsin advocates warn AI voice cloning scams are hitting seniors with median losses over $38,000. Here's what families can do right now to protect loved ones.
Case studyTexas Grandfather Loses $1,000 to AI Voice Clone of Grandson
Fraudsters cloned a Texas teenager's voice using AI to scam his grandfather out of $1,000. How the family's story became a GMA warning for millions.
Cite this page
Grandparent scam — Trust Onion, September 17, 2026. https://trustonion.io/glossary/grandparent-scam
