An elderly Smithfield couple lost $2,000 in the grandparents scam last week. The incident was reported to Johnston County deputies on Tuesday. It is unlikely the money the victims lost can be recovered.
Last week the 82 year-old woman reported she received a phone call from a stranger stating her grandson had been involved in a serious accident and was in jail. The caller claimed to be helping her grandson but needed $2,000 to post his bail.
The suspect informed the woman to go to Target and obtain $2,000 in gift cards to make the payment. The victim sent her 91 year-old husband to Target in Goldsboro where he obtained $2,000 in cards and then returned home. The suspect called back and obtained the card numbers, telling the couple not to tell anyone at the request of their grandson.
Soon thereafter they realized they had been scammed and their grandson had not been in an accident.
The incident has been assigned to a detective.
