Example: The $21 Million Grandparent Scam

A grandmother in her kitchen at dusk holds a phone to her ear in distress, one hand over her mouth; on the fridge behind her are photos of her grandson, and on the counter a tablet shows a social profile with the same photo.

In 2025, US prosecutors charged a network of Canadian call centers with defrauding hundreds of elderly Americans out of more than $21 million across 46 states[1]. The script was simple. A caller pretended to be a grandchild who had been in an accident and needed bail money. He could not call himself because of a court order. The family had to keep it quiet. What made the calls convincing was the detail.[2]

The scammers knew the grandchild's name, the grandparent's name, where they lived. They got those details from Facebook. A public profile with a family photo and a tagged grandchild was enough to start the call.