Crime & Safety
Sandy Springs Grandfather Falls Victim to $1,800 Scam
The victim told police he is unsure if one of the scammers was his grandson or an imposter, according to recent crime reports from Police Capt. Steve Rose.
A Sandy Springs grandfather was a victim of a common fraud, according to recent crime reports from Police Capt. Steve Rose.
The victim told police he is unsure if one of the scammers was his grandson or an imposter. He had not talked to his grandson for a year and then received a call on May 20. During their conversation the supposed grandson said that he was in the Dominican Republic doing work for the Red Cross.
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The next day his grandson called again and said he and his friends were pulled over in a car by Dominican Republic police. The cops found 10 pounds of marijuana in the car. He was not in jail and needed $1800 for a “performance” bond.
He gave the victim the name of an Officer Winters and supposedly the number for the consulate there. Officer Winters told the victim not to speak of the incident for fear he would be flagged as a “participant in a drug scheme.” He was told to go to Wal-Mart and wire (MoneyGram) to Vincente Torres at an address in the Dominican Republic.
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Officer Winters later called back and said that the $1,800 would be refunded at a later date but he now needed $1,700 for attorney fees, non-refundable.
The victim became suspicious.
He told the man he would not send the money. Then Officer Winters wanted the victim’s Social Security number and other information.
The victim knew he was had and told the man his grandson could get himself out of trouble. A call later confirmed that his grandson had never been to the Dominican Republic.
The victim isn’t sure if his actual grandson was involved since the person sounded like him. The grandson has a history but the victim isn’t really sure, Rose said.
Additional advice from Rose: “We get a dozen or so each year on ‘grandma’ calls from grandkids who are in dire straits in some foreign land and only grandma can help. It isn’t until they sent the thousands of bucks via Western Union or whatever, that they make the call—the call they should make at the onset, only to find out they were taken. Don’t be fooled. Don’t make rash decisions, think things through.”
