Over the past month, “grandparent scams” have increased in Allen County, and several people have learned about them the hard way.
An elderly couple, who requested not to be named in this story, received a strange phone call from Mexico.
Mike Ford, an Iola police officer and Kansas Crimestoppers president, said there are certain things to look for when people call to scam grandparents. This couple’s story is textbook example of the crime.
First, an alleged granddaughter called, who said she had a cold, which was meant to explain the difference in her voice. The scammer usually starts the conversation with “it’s your favorite granddaughter,” in an attempt to get the specific name of who they are impersonating. The granddaughter then said that she had been arrested in Mexico, saying authorities had found cocaine in the trunk of her friend’s car.
Ford said every case is the same. The scammer then asks the grandparents not tell her parents about anything, and that the grandparents should wire money to them for bail and court fees. The Iola couple sent $2,300 from Advance America in Iola to what they thought was the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. The scammers instructed them to make up a story to tell the wire service, in order not to alert them about why they were wiring the money.
Nancy Yancy, a customer service representative at Walmart, stopped the couple from wiring a second $2,300 to Mexico for alleged attorney fees.
“They really believe these people (the scammers). The grandparents are so anxious to help their grandkids,” Yancy said. “It really breaks my heart.”
Yancy said once the money is sent, there is no way to trace it and get it back. She said it is important for money service employees to be trained to recognize the scams before grandparents send the money.
“I was really shocked to see that the other money had been sent (from Advance America),” Yancy said. “People really need to be trained to recognize this.”
She said because the grandparents are instructed to lie to the wire service, it is often difficult to get the real reason why the money is being sent. She said employees need to “be nosey.” As for the grandparents, she said the easiest way to avoid the scam is to call the grandchild’s parents, even though they were not instructed to do so.
Yancy said the scams have been brought to her service desk three times in the past month. Another elderly couple wired $1,900 to Mexico, and were stopped before they wired another $7,000.
As for the couple who sent the $2,300, they were extremely grateful that they were not able to send any more funds.
“I’m just glad Nancy stopped us from sending any more money,” the woman said. “I just couldn’t lie to her.”
Ford said his department has done their best to alert elderly citizens about the scams. He said the scammers look for names in the phone book that seem older, and that is how they decide who to call. He said if people know what to look for, many losses can be prevented.
For more information regarding the “grandparent scams,” visit the Allen County Crimestoppers website at allencountycs.org.
Elderly becomes victims of scams
