Here's an email we received today:
Several weeks ago, News 3 ran a story about people calling up and pretending to be a grandchild who needed money right away and some grandparents sent the money before they realized it was a scam. Well, my ex-mother-in-law, just received a call just like that today. The caller asked her, "Grandma, guess who this is?" When my mother in law responded with my son's name, the person on the phone started crying and saying he had been arrested in Haiti (of all places) and needed her to wire some money ASAP so he could get out of jail. She got really upset and handed the phone to her daughter who figured out that it was not my son. Anyway, I know you just ran the story a month or so ago but in light of the fact that someone here in Vegas got one of those calls, I think it might be a good idea to run the story again if possible. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that this scam is still alive and well and targeting grandparents. Thanks for taking the time to read this.Don't fall for the Grandmother Scam.
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This just happened to my grandmother on March 18th 2011. She got a call from a young girl saying, "grandma it's me your favorite granddaughter," my grandmother replied, "is this Sasha?" Yes grandma it's me Sasha (in a distraught voice)." My grandmother asked, "what’s wrong sweetie?" The girl replied, "well I am in Mexico and I kind of got into trouble down here, I rented a car and wrecked it, now I have to get out of jail, and this is my only call I can make... My attorney will call you soon." My grandmother agreed and waited for the phone call from the "attorney," he replied by saying "Sasha is unharmed, but she does need some money to get out of jail." My grandmother said, "how much will it be?" The man said "about $4,000." So, now my grandmother is all upset and all she wants to do now is get my cousin out of jail. She lives at her home with my aunt and uncle, but they were gone and she sends me money without them knowing (because she can do what she wants and they do not have to know). My grandmother with a bad back and messed up knees, WALKED about 2 miles down to the local bank and withdrew $4,000 and WALKED another mile to the Wal-mart and back home 3 miles. That was a TOTAL of 6 MILES, in the freezing cold, snowy day in Montana. After a day or so, my aunt and uncle found out what happened, they call the local police and did everything they could, but the officials said there "was nothing anyone can do to get her money back." Okay so right now I am in hard times trying to rack up enough money on my own to pay the IRS, bur now I feel bad to ask, and I thought to myself "even a inkling of that $4,000 could of helped my right now, but it is gone." I wish that my grandmother did not get caught up in her emotions, and I wish she could of also reasoned that my cousin is only 15 years old and "why" would she be in Mexico? This just makes me sick! My grandmother walked all that way in the cold, just for it to turn out to be a scam and she cannot get her money back! Grandmothers be aware.
The EXACT same thing happened to my grandma this week (5/24/11) - except it was me that they were pretending to be. It was so strange how even my parents who I had talked to on Sunday played into a scenario that I would be in Mexico two days later at a wedding. Luckily no money exchanged hands but it was very upsetting for my parents and grandparents.
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