An elderly Johnston County woman lost $8,500 last week in a telephone scam. Authorities said the victim almost sent another $7,500 to the swindlers but couldn’t because the bank had already closed for the day.
Last Friday, the 77 year-old victim received a phone call from a man pretending to be her grandson. He claimed he was on a trip to New York and became involved in an auto accident that seriously injured another driver. He also claimed he had been arrested for drunk driving.
The caller claimed he needed $8,500 to pay to a public defender to post his bail, however the defender would only accept cash. The victim said she obtained $8,500 in cash from her bank and sent the money through FedEx that afternoon.
Later that afternoon she received a second phone call from the man posing as her grandson. He claimed the woman he injured in the accident had a severe head injury and the charges against him were being upgraded. He claimed to need another $7,500 to post the higher bail.
The victim reportedly went back to her bank but was unable to access the funds because her bank had already closed for the day.
She eventually told someone about the phone calls and learned it was a widespread fraud nicknamed the Grandparents Scam.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was not reported to them for more than 24 hours after it occurred. It was too late to intercept the overnight FedEx package mailed to an address in New York.
Detectives are investigating the case but say it is unlikely the victim can recover her money.
