July 8, 2013
By now we've probably all heard of the Nigerian e-mail scam. Provide your banking information, account number, etc., send some money to pay off a government official and reap millions of dollars. A crazy hoax.
Here's one that seems more plausible on the face of it but turns out to be just another scam:
An elderly client was contacted by her grandson from jail, asking that she wire $2,000 immediately so he could post bail. It seemed he had been stopped by police while driving in Tennessee and drugs were found in the car. He pleaded with his grandmother to please wire the money immediately and not mention a word of it to his mother (her daughter).
She contacted Brennan Redmond, her Advisor at Brighton Securities, to request the wire to be sent. He asked her why the urgency to which she replied she could not tell him, or her daughter. That raised a red flag for the Advisor who became concerned about the potential for fraud. Brennan spoke with her at length about the issue and urged her to contact her daughter. The client acquiesced and called her daughter who confirmed that the client's grandson was not in trouble and so obviously this was a scam. No wire was sent.
Please be aware - fraudsters are becoming more and more devious every day!
Rob Lohwater
(This article contains the current opinions of the author but not necessarily those of Brighton Securities Corp. The author's opinions are subject to change without notice. This blog post is for informational purposes only. Forecasts, estimates, and certain information contained herein should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. References to specific securities and their issuers are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended and should not be interpreted as recommendations to purchase or sell such securities).