An Emporia resident was hit by the “grandparents scam,” a nationwide scam that can cost victims more than $3,000 if they fall for it.
Julius Cohen of Emporia said he and his wife received a phone call from their 15-year-old “grandson” who claimed he was in Toronto, Canada, and needed money because he had received a ticket for driving under the influence while in Canada. This person said he is a model student, outstanding soccer player and knew the name of Cohen’s wife.
“So he tells us over the phone that he is on vacation and had flown up to Canada and rented a car,” Cohen said. “And he was picked up drinking and driving...he says he needs $3,000 and needs the money right away. He wants it kept a secret because he doesn’t want his parents to know and he’ll pay us back.”
Cohen said the person, who sounded older than 15 and had a slightly British accent, put on the tear act. Cohen gave him a lecture and the person hung up. While the Cohens didn’t fall for the scam and therefore didn’t lose any money, other people around the country have.
The Nashville Sun reported on July 8 that a couple wired $3,200 to Canada to help their “grandson.” The person wasn’t in trouble and wasn’t even their grandson. Another person was nearly scammed $8,000 in May of this year in Missouri. The scam is not new and has been circulating for years, the Sun said.
Cohen he wanted to warn other people about the scam.
“The whole thing didn’t add up,” he said. “I mean, we know our grandson and we know his parents. My wife’s first reaction is she got very emotional about the thing. Some people might fall for that and might possibly want to rescue a kid.”
Cohen suggested families set up codes that only the family knows to prevent fraud or scams.
“And don’t share it with anyone,” he said.
billclinton (anonymous) says...
Scam, code, or not, I'm not wiring anyone $3,000 for any reason.
July 26, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I'm with you, Bill. No way am I going to wire $3,000 to anybody at anytime.
How do these scammers know that people are grandparents? I'm guessing that it's a hit or miss situation. In today's aging population, the chances are pretty high that a scammer is going to find a grandparent.
July 26, 2008 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Set up codes so that you would know that the caller is really your grandson? You mean that there are grandparents out there who could not tell the difference between a scammer and their own grandchild? No wonder they get scammed.
July 26, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
marebear14 (anonymous) says...
If someone is elderly or has poor hearing they might not be able to readily tell their grandchild's voice from another person's. Who knows, I wouldn't send the money I would say suck it up you did the crime so you figure it out.
July 26, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
You have a point, marebear14. Old age can be harsh on us all.
July 26, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
I got a letter in the mail last week with a Canadian post mark, from a company with a New York address, but with an Alberta Canada phone number(looked it up on the net), and a New York City fax number. It also included a check for $3900. I was supposed to be a secret shopper, and $3400 of it was to send via a moneygram to a person in New York as a "test" of one of two moneygram companies. Obviously it was a scam. I called the Alberta AG's office, and they were fairly unconcerned, directed me to the police department in Edmonton, that is where I threw up my hands and decided to forget it. Just for everyone's information, our own AGs office talks a good story about defending us from scams, but they won't do much about a situation like this either.
July 26, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Our criminal law was not designed to deal with some modern offenses. For example, venue (the county where the offense occurred) is also jurisdictional (meaning that the county (or counties) where it occurred is the only place that the crime can be prosecuted). With so many of these cases, it is hard to figure out where venue lies, i.e., where the crime actually occurred. Consequently, most jurisdictions won't devote resources to it because it will be dismissed in the courts anyway since one of the jurisdictional elements cannot be established.
July 26, 2008 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )