A Johnston County man lost $9,000 after falling for the Grandparents Scam. The 79 year-old victim said he received a phone call from a man posing as attorney in Connecticut. The caller claimed they were representing his grandson in court following a car accident that was his fault.
The caller claimed the grandfather needed to pay $9,000 to post his grandson’s bail in Connecticut.
The victim drove to his bank and withdrew $9,000 in cash. As instructed, the man waited at his Johnston County home until someone arrived a few hours later to pick up the cash. The victim said the person arrived on foot and left walking. No vehicle was seen.
In most cases the victim is instructed to wire or overnight money to an address. In this scam, the money was picked up from the victim’s residence by an unknown person.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office has assigned a detective to the case.
In 2018, an elderly McGee’s Crossroads woman lost $8,000 in the Grandparents Scam.
To anybody who knows this man, please help him move from his current residence. The criminals know where he lives and will come back because they know he probably lives alone and has money. For his own safety, get him away from there! The criminals that do this scam are usually very violent if they don’t get what they want.
If you’re not smart enough to hold on to your money, you don’t deserve it!!! This country has become the Land of Snowflakes, where no one takes responsibility for themselves!
I disagree, at the end of the day. Scammers like to pray on the vulnerable such as the elderly. This man was elderly, you never know what the man’s dealing with. At the end of the day this person wanted to help his grandchild out, that doesn’t make him a snowflake.
Blaming the victim in this situation isn’t right; it’s not that the victim isn’t smart, anyone can get scammed. I’d go to say this man was a good person for trying to help his grandson, sadly in this case he was scammed. He was simply vulnerable.
This is sad, real sad.
Poor man , those bastards ought to he caught & punished to the fullest extent. He was only trying to help his grandson out of trouble. Those scammers out to have to pay in the worst punishable way.