An 80 year-old grandmother was scammed out of $1300 by someone pretending to be her grandson. East Lampeter Township Police say the victim was contacted by telephone on Wednesday. The scammer said he was her grandson and that he was on Spring Break in Mexico and needed bail money to get out of prison.
The victim wired $1,290.00 via Western Union to a number she was told was the American Consulate in Mexico. She later discovered that her grandson was still at school and the money was actually sent to Canada. Police say this is a common scam where the perpetrators obtain enough information from social media sites to convince victims, who are normally elderly family members, that they are a relative in need.