7/21/11
by: Perry Miller
A pair of Brookings County residents fall prey to the
'grandchild scam' and are out nearly $2,000.
The sheriff's office says the couple received a call
Tuesday from someone claiming to be their granddaughter.
The scammer claimed to have been in an accident and in
need of money.
The cash was sent via money transfer. The scammer
later called back and said she actually needed more
money. The couple had learned by then that they were
the victims of a scam.
It has been learned the money was wired to Panama.
Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring says this scammer
knew what she was doing. By using the grand daughters
actual name and also saying that her voice was different
because she had broken her nose.
Sebring says the request for a money transfer should
be a huge red flag, because once you transfer the money you
will not be able to retreive that money back.
If you feel the money request is legit -- you can always
include a test question with the transfer. If the question is not
answered correctly it can not be turned over to the subject.
Sebring says the request for a money transfer is a
common part of many types of scams.
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