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Durango grandmother loses $12,000 in telephone scam
Herald Staff Writer
"We have had that scam surface a couple of times," said Durango police Capt. Micki Browning. "This is something that is going on across the nation right now. Unfortunately, it hits people really hard." The woman explained how the scam worked Thursday during a phone interview, but she asked not to be identified.
She received a phone call Oct. 27 from a man who said, "Grandma?" The woman stated her grandson's name, and the voice on the other line said, "Yeah, it's me." "It sounded just like him," the woman said.
He explained he was in trouble with the law and needed money wired to him in Canada.
He asked his "grandma" to be discreet and not let other family members know of the situation so he wouldn't be embarrassed.
He said he needed $2,800 wired to his lawyer, and the woman agreed to send the money.
She asked a neighbor to give her a ride to the bank and to City Market to wire the money via Western Union.
The next day, the woman received another call from her "grandson" asking for $2,795 to pay his jail bail. The woman sent the money.
He called again the next day asking for $2,806 to solve a problem with his passport, and she complied.
During the episode, the woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson's lawyer.
The "lawyer" explained that her grandson was involved in a drunken driving accident, and a pregnant woman had been injured.
The pregnant woman would not press charges if her grandson agreed to leave the country, but he needed another $2,810 sent via Western Union.
In all, the woman spent $11,971, including service fees.
"I was a stupid person, but I love my grandson," the Durango woman said. "I should have known. I wasn't thinking." In all likelihood, the woman will not be able to recover the money.
"I don't have a ton of money to throw away," she said. "I think about it day and night." shane@durangoherald.com
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