The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana is warning of a scam targeting seniors in the area. They are calling it the grandparents scam.

Tim Maniscalo, president and CEO of the bureau, explains that authorities see an increase of these types of scams around spring break, when college students are frequently traveling.

The scammers will claim to be from a jail or hospital or even your grandchild and say that your relative needs immediate help financially.

They could also require you to purchase a prepaid card such as an app store card or a Green Dot card.

Maniscalo says that a legitimate authority is never going to ask you to wire transfer money or to make a payment by buying store cards or pre-paid debit cards.

Unfortunately, many of these scammers operate from overseas and there is little that can be done to get your money back. He said that these scammers are preying on people’s good nature and their desire to help family members.

Maniscalo suggests that people check the Better Business Bureau website for a frequently updated Scam Tracker. It allows users to focus on current scams being reported locally.

For more information, go to the Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana’s Scam Tracker.