A 78 year-old Johnston County woman last $16,000 last month in the Grandparent Scam.
The victim said she received a phone call on March 27th from a person pretending to be her grandson. They claimed they had been in the hospital and then arrested for some type of incident. The caller said they needed $10,000 for bail money. They placed another individual on the phone who claimed they were a public defender and were trying to assist her grandson make bail.
The victim mailed $10,000 in cash to a location in Georgia.
The scammer then made a second phone call claiming an additional $6,000 was needed to satisfy a debt at the hospital. She then mailed a second envelope to a Georgia address containing $6,000 in cash.
The victim did not notify authorities of the scam until Saturday.
In May 2018, an elderly McGee’s Crossroads area resident lost $8,000 in the Grandparent Scam.
In April 2018, a 77 year-old local resident lost $8,500 in the same scam.
A 90 year-old Clayton woman was swindled out of $7,000 in the scam in March 2018.
