Warnings for fellow Grandparents

[papaperch]

Got the oddest call today. Was waiting on heating guy to hook up broken exhaust on mt home heat and he was 45 min late. While waiting phone rings and asks if I know who this is. Before I can answer he announces he is my grandson. I have only one grandson all the rest are granddaughters.

He asks if I am aware that he is on vacation in Peru like he posted on his facebook page. I say no I very seldom go on facebook. So he goes on to explain how he might not sound like himself as his nose is broken. Along with other injuries and he is being held in a local jail. My first question is have you called your Mom and Dad. He goes no I don't want them to know. This sets off alarm bell in my head ( finally ) as my son has taught all his children in the event of any trouble call home. Regardless of circumstances.

He goes on to explain how he is completely innocent but the 4 guys that beat him up are blaming him. Alarm bells really going off now. My grandson played football for Nebraska. He stands about 6'-5" and is chiseled out of granite. Plus policemen everywhere are not naive enough to readily believe that any one guy is going to pick a fight with 4 guys especially in a strange country.

Any way he starts blubbering and bawling about how the US embassy down there is providing an US lawyer for him but they need anywhere from 5-100 thousand for a retainer fee. But he will be re-imbursed as soon as he gets home. At this point I realize he is full of it.

In a calm voice I ask him to name his sisters and their children. Like on cue he quits crying and screams " why are you yelling at me " and hangs up.

I then remember reading about this particular scam on the internet. Seems they do enough research that the grandparent and their grandkids are in different states. Then try and get money thru a variety of excuses and shams.

Probably very few people fall for this but enough do so that these scam artists continue. Wished he would have stayed on the phone to get the dressing down this scum bag so richly deserves.

So be aware that this is going on.

 

[Bucho]

I was onced asked by my 70-something old neighbour wether I received "that list". I had no idea what she was talking about...Some 20-something youg woman had rung her doorbell, pretended to have a broken arm, made a big woo-ha about some notes that had to be taken down for me...
I started to feel really bad and asked if she had let her into her appartment. She said yes, since all those notes had to be put down for me and the girl could´t write with her broken arm...
I started to feel even worse and asked her if she had some money or valuables stashed somewhere and if they were still there...
They werent. My neighbour has never been the same after that, for all the shame and feeling of not being in control of herself and her household. I take any bet that guy didn´t even know your grandson lived in another state, just like my neighbour hadn´t been told my first name before mentioning it first herself (only last names on the door bells). Its a technique. Just like the grandchild-trick, well known over here, too, sadly. Nasty stuff. I keep talking about this with my elder family members (note I don´t mention them on the internet), since sometimes i get really concerned when I hear who they let in an why.

 

[StumpHunter]

It takes a low low low person to try and pull something like that.

 

[AtticaFish]

So you are just going to leave your poor grandson stuck in jail in Peru??????????????????? Tsk tsk. Maybe he will finally learn his lesson not to pick a fight in a country that none of his family knows he took vacation to.

It never ends. The new automated calls i receive at work are more and more convincing that they are 'real' people every time they try. The Skype users and phone bank salesman are easy to pick out......... but some are down right tricky to scan and weed out.