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Two women scammed out of $17,000
SOUTH POINT, Ohio -- Two South Point area women have been scammed out of nearly $17,000 in the past few weeks from callers from Canada claiming it was their grandsons needing money.
In one case, a South Point man said his 91-year-old mother in law was scammed out of $12,400 several weeks ago by a caller from Canada making similar comments.
Willis Ratliff said he called the Federal Bureau of Investigation and authorities in Canada about the scam and hasn't gotten any positive reaction. "With all this modern technology, there's something that should be done," he said. "It's like no one cares. I'm upset."
One of the scammers said he was from the Canadian police and that there had been an accident and the woman's grandson wanted to talk to them. The caller then tells the woman it's her grandson, not to call his mom and dad, that he was in an accident and his passport has been taken, Ratliff said.
His mother-in-law sent a moneygram at the Wal-Mart store in Fayette Township for $6,700 the first time. The man called back seeking more money and she sent another $5,700, he said. The scammer kept calling back asking for more money and at one point said he had won the Canadian lottery and needed $4,500 to pay taxes on the money before he could pay her back.
"How they get this information is beyond me," Ratliff said. Armstrong Cable traced the phone calls, but he can't pursue the case without a subpoena, he said. "They should know where the money was picked up," he said.
Ratliff didn't find out about the scam until the woman's real grandson called from California, asking relatives in South Point check on his grandmother who had called him asking for the money back. "He never asked her for any money," he said.
In the other case, a 73-year-old South Point area woman reported earlier this month week she received a call from a man saying he was her grandson and was in Canada and needed money.
She sent him $3,000 and then another $1,500 when he called back asking for more money, according to a report filed with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department. Her grandson said he wasn't the one who called her and hasn't left the country and has been home with a new baby, according to a report.
Sheriff Tim Sexton said the elderly often are targeted in scams like these.
"They're more trusting," he said. "They grew up in a different era. Often, they won't hang up on a caller. We still see scam e-mails and letters from Nigeria, but Canada is often involved in these scams. It will only get worse with the economy the way it is."
It's hard for investigators from South Point to deal with authorities in Canada, he said.
"People should ask for the person's name and phone number and call them back and ask for their supervisor's name or say they'll have local law enforcement call them back," Sexton said.
"Don't be afraid to hang up on someone you don't want to talk to," Sexton said. "Don't be intimidated by these callers and don't every give out vital information like account numbers or Social Security numbers."
