Feds probe ‘grandkid’ swindles

Federal investigators in New York are probing an elder abuse scam in which fraudsters pose as grandchildren in need of bail money, law enforcement sources told the Daily News on Monday.

Homeland Security Investigations is probing whether the elder abusers are buying contact information for the targets of their scams off the dark web, according to the sources.

The swindle typically involves two scam artists, one of whom poses as a grandchild who calls up an elderly relative and pretends to be in trouble. Another person poses as law enforcement, the sources say.

A common version of the scam begins with a woman posing as a granddaughter in distress, claiming she is in trouble with the law and needs urgent help, the sources said. The phone then changes hands and a man posing as a cop directs the alarmed elderly victim to mail cash for bail as soon as possible. Payouts ranged between $5,000 and $8,000, a source said.

Suspects are out of state and expected to be brought to Manhattan Federal Court to face charges, sources said.

A complicating factor in the investigation is that it doesn’t appear one group is doing the scam. Rather, it appears the hustle is popular among a wider array of fraudsters, sources said.

The news of the investigation comes as the Justice Department has declared fighting elder abuse a priority. One in 10 elderly people who live in homes suffer abuse.

For each victim that comes to light, 24 others are unreported, Laura Rogers, a director at the department, said at a conference in Washington this month.

The News reported last week that elderly wealthy celebrities, including Stan Lee, Casey Kasem and Mickey Rooney, have allegedly been targeted by scammers.