Phone Scam Hits Charlotte: Grandparents Beware
March 24, 2011, page 3.....

Editor’s note: The people involved asked that their names not be published, but they would very much like this warning to be distributed as widely as possible. – Nancy Wood

On Tuesday, March 15, an elderly couple in Charlotte received a phone call from a young man claiming to be one of their grandsons. The young man sounded very distressed, saying that he’d just been involved in an accident in Canada and needed them to wire him money immediately. The couple reports that the young man sounded exactly like their grandson, who attends UVM. The young man begged the grandmother not to tell anyone about the trouble he was in, because he was embarrassed. He instructed the grandmother to wire a large sum of money through Western Union to an individual who he claimed was a lawyer in Spain helping him with his situation in Canada. Later that day, the young man called again and requested a second large sum of money. When the grandmother explained that they didn’t have the sum he requested, he urged them to wire at least half. The couple was so alarmed and concerned that they responded immediately both times.  The scam succeeded because the con artist preyed on the love and anxiety of grandparents who believed they were helping their grandson through an emergency and crisis.
Grandparents and the elderly of Charlotte are advised to be aware of telephone scams from people claiming to be loved ones in crisis. The scam has been occurring for years and is apparently nationwide. Lisa Gaujac reported a similar instance in her family. She said, “This exact scenario happened to my father living in California. He was sure it was my son that lives in Vermont. Fortunately, my father said to call him back and then let us know. If he didn’t reach us, I’m sure he would have wired the $4,000 he was asked for.”
In December 2009 the Vermont Attorney General described this “Grandparent Consumer Scam” and provided advice to help people avoid becoming victims. The Attorney General’s Office had received reports of over-the-phone scams directed at elderly Vermonters in which a person posing as the target’s grandson claimed to be in need of money in Canada and asked for funds to be wired to him. In these scams, very similar to the recent one in Charlotte, the caller, who was not actually a grandson, said that he had been in a car accident (or was in police custody, or for some other reason needed money) and directed the grandparent to send a wire transfer through Western Union or MoneyGram.
 According to the Attorney General, the callers were actually cross-border criminals. They typically used untraceable cell phones and displayed forged IDs to pick up the wire transfers. Once the money was wired, it was not recoverable.
 The Attorney General’s Office advised Vermonters not to send any money whatsoever in response to calls. If there is any question about whether a relative is actually in need of funds abroad, people should first contact other members of their family to verify that the relative is really out of the country and in trouble, and then work with their family to provide assistance. To file a complaint, consumers should call the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424, or logon to agcomplaints.vermont.gov/ccf. The Vermont State Police should also be notified.