Quick answer: Grandparent scams surge every November and December, and artificial intelligence has removed the old tells: the voice on the phone can now genuinely sound like your grandchild, cloned from a few seconds of online audio. The defense is unchanged and unbeaten: hang up, call back on a number you already have, use a family code word, never pay an emergency with gift cards or wire transfers, and talk to one other person before moving money. PAC Financial in Harrisburg shares a free family protection checklist: (717) 564-6400, ext. 181.
Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year's, a certain phone call goes out across Pennsylvania by the thousand. It is late in the evening. The voice is young, scared, and familiar: an accident, an arrest, a hospital, and please, do not tell Mom and Dad. The grandparent scam is older than smartphones. What changed this year is the voice, because it may now actually sound like your grandchild.
Per the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans aged 60 and older reported about 7.7 billion dollars in fraud losses, up 59 percent in a single year, averaging roughly 38,500 dollars per reported victim. And versions of these calls have reached our own area: Dauphin County's sheriff's office has publicly warned about local residents losing thousands to impersonation phone scams. Bottom line up front: the technology got better, and the five family habits below still beat all of it.
How can scammers copy a family member's voice?
Software now clones a human voice from a very small sample. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that a few seconds of audio is enough, and a 2023 McAfee study produced an 85 percent voice match from three to four seconds, roughly the length of a voicemail greeting or one posted video clip. The criminal types; the cloned voice speaks. The panic, the background noise, the "lawyer" who takes the phone next: staged, often by the same tools. This is why "I'd know my grandson's voice anywhere" is no longer a defense. It is the exact assumption the scam is built on.
The holiday versions to expect this year
| The call | The story | The giveaway |
|---|---|---|
| The emergency in a loved one's voice | Accident or arrest while traveling for the holidays; money needed quietly, now | Urgency plus secrecy plus gift cards, wire, or crypto. All three together is a scam, every time |
| The charity that calls you | Year-end giving pitch, often echoing real disasters or veterans causes | Pressure to give by phone today; real charities welcome checks mailed after you verify them |
| The delivery or account text | A package problem or bank alert during peak shipping season, with a link | The link itself. Go to the company your own way, never through the message |
| The badge on the line | A "warrant," "suspended benefits," or "compromised account" needing money moved to safety | No agency collects money by phone, gift card, or courier. There is no such thing as a safe account |
What is a family code word and why do police recommend it?
It is the single highest-value fifteen minutes of your family's holiday gathering: agree, in person, on a word or phrase that has never been posted anywhere, and make the rule that any urgent money call must include it. The FBI recommends exactly this practice, because a cloned voice can say anything except the one thing it was never trained on. Pair it with the rest of the protocol: hang up and call back on the number you already have, never the one that called; never pay any emergency with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency; and talk to one other person before moving any money, because scammers demand secrecy for a reason. Secrecy is the scam's oxygen.
The bigger picture in Pennsylvania
This threat is being taken seriously at the state level. Pennsylvania has stood up a new Office of Alzheimer's, Dementia and Related Disorders within the Department of Aging. That matters here because the collision of cognitive change and industrial-scale scam technology is exactly where families need protection most: the paperwork layer, durable powers of attorney drafted with an elder law attorney, trusted contacts named on financial accounts, and a designated family first-call, built early, while every choice still belongs to the person it protects. Officials and organizations mentioned are not clients of or affiliated with PAC Financial and have not endorsed the firm; details are drawn from public announcements.
Tucker Nicholas is a Private Wealth Advisor at PAC Financial in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This holiday season we are sharing our one-page family protection checklist free with anyone who asks, no appointment, no pitch, because the best time to scam-proof a household is at the kitchen table before the phone rings. Call (717) 564-6400, ext. 181, and if money has already moved in your family, call your bank first, then the PA Attorney General Senior Assistance Helpline at 1-866-623-2137, then us if we can help you sort out what's left. Reporting is not an admission of anything except that a criminal picked the wrong house.
This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax, or legal advice or a recommendation. Power of attorney and related documents should be prepared with a qualified attorney. Statistics per the FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report and Federal Trade Commission consumer alerts; scam methods evolve and figures are as reported. Public officials and organizations mentioned are not clients of or affiliated with PAC Financial and have not endorsed the firm. Securities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. PAC Financial and Osaic Wealth are separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth. Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck. Tucker P. Nicholas is registered in PA, CO, and DE. PAC Financial, 5291 Devonshire Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112, (717) 564-6400.