Threat Intelligence Directory
Social Engineering
Grandparent Emergency Scam
Attack Trigger
Fake family emergency exploits love and fear to bypass rational judgment
What Attackers Want
$2,000–$15,000 via wire transfer, Zelle, or gift cards
How This Attack Works
Scammers impersonate a grandchild (or their lawyer) claiming to be in jail, hospitalized, or stranded and needing immediate money for bail or medical bills. The caller urges secrecy to prevent family embarrassment, isolating the victim from people who could intervene.
Red Flags to Watch For
- ✗Caller begs you not to tell other family members
- ✗Voice sounds different but scammer explains it with injury or emotion
- ✗Bail or medical payment required via gift cards or wire transfer
- ✗Call comes from an unknown number, not your grandchild's actual phone
How Glance Stops This
- Domain similarity analysis catches lookalike sender addresses at millisecond speed
- SPF / DKIM / DMARC validation flags authentication failures before you ever see the email
- VirusTotal + Google Safe Browsing checks every link in real time
- Urgency language detection scores the email higher for manual review
- Known malicious domain blocklist updated continuously from live scan data
Don't wait to get hit.
Glance scans every incoming email against 12 detection layers — including the exact tactics described above — before it reaches your inbox.
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