New scam targets grandparents

By Dave Clark

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 | midnight

Henderson resident Fran Wilson was upset, frightened and nervous Aug. 12. Her grandson had just called, claiming he had been arrested in Canada for drunken driving. He needed $2,800 to be released from jail.

Frantically, she sent him the cash.

A couple of days later, she called her grandson and discovered the call had not been from him. She had been scammed.

“It just makes you feel like a chump,” she said. “It’s almost as bad as a home invasion. We know we’ll never get the money back, but we sure would like to stop these people.”

Wilson has not been the only victim. Just this year, the Missouri and Washington state attorneys general have warned grandparents not to fall prey to callers posing as grandchildren requesting money for car repairs, bail or medical bills. The AARP also published an alert last month.

So far, the Nevada attorney general’s office has received no such complaints.

In retrospect, Wilson said the pretend call from jail offered a few clues as to its false identity. Wilson told the caller he did not sound like himself. He responded with a believable answer.

“He said he had a sore throat and had been up all night,” Wilson said.

Wilson also rarely speaks with her grandson over the phone. They usually correspond via e-mail.

“I fell for it hook, line and sinker,” she said. “Grandparents are more gullible than parents are. I was so upset, I just didn’t question any of this stuff.”

The scammer told her he had gone to Canada with a woman to see a film festival. He instructed Wilson to purchase a MoneyGram at Wal-Mart. Wilson thought she was sending money to the court.

“It had to be cash, which was another red flag,” she said.

The schemer also warned her not to call his parents and told her he would be flying back home that night.

When Wilson dialed her grandson the next day, she received startling news. He had not traveled to Canada and was training for his new job.

“He was very upset that we would believe he would give up all that to take off with some girl to go to Canada,” Wilson said.

Despite being bamboozled, Wilson, 80, considers herself lucky. She and her husband, Tom, are still able to buy groceries and pay rent.

For grandparents to avoid a similar fate, she recommended asking personal questions.

“I could’ve asked him where did your mother go to high school?” she said. “What is my middle name? A scammer wouldn’t know any of those kinds of questions.”

The AARP advises grandparents to always confirm the grandchild’s identity by calling them following a suspect call. Never give out account numbers and be suspicious of any money wire request. Also, the AARP tells grandparents to never fill in the blanks, such as saying a grandchild’s name. Instead, ask “Which one?”

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or dave.clark@hbcpub.com.