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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    The Grandparent Scam

    Senior citizens all over the U.S. and Canada are getting duped by a massive Montreal-based phone scam in which the callers pretend to be distressed grandchildren. And some rather intelligent people are falling for it.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Sep 15, 2014 • 1 min read

    Senior citizens all over the U.S. and Canada are getting duped by a massive Montreal-based phone scam in which the callers pretend to be distressed grandchildren. And some rather intelligent people are falling for it.

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Heat Wave, Rush Hour, and the Grandparent Scam
    1. 0:00Heat Wave!
    2. 6:55Rush Hour Construction
    3. 16:38Fake News Shakeup
    4. 26:25The Grandparent ScamYou’re reading this
    5. 40:29Let’s Do Brunch
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Andrew Walsh

      Too Beautiful to Live

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Richard Muller

      University of California, Berkeley

    • KCRW placeholder

      Shirley Streshinsky

      journalist and author

      News

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Heat Wave, Rush Hour, and the Grandparent Scam
    1. 0:00Heat Wave!
    2. 6:55Rush Hour Construction
    3. 16:38Fake News Shakeup
    4. 26:25The Grandparent ScamYou’re reading this
    5. 40:29Let’s Do Brunch
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand