New scam targets generous grandparents

PORTLAND, Ore. - A new scam is targeting senior citizens who would do nearly anything for their grandchildren.

Bonnie Ross recently got a call from someone who she thought was her granddaughter, Sarah, calling from Canada.

"She said 'Hi Grandma, this is Sarah,'" said Ross. "She said 'I'm in some trouble.'"

The caller told Ross she was in Canada with a friend who got free tickets for a concert, free airplane tickets and a free hotel stay.  Also, the caller said she had been in a DUI, but the police would drop the charges if she could pay the rental car damages.

Ross went to a Wal-Mart store within two hours after the call and sent a MoneyGram for $3,600. Immediately, the MoneyGram was picked up at a Wal-Mart in Toronto.

But hours later, when Ross' real granddaughter called, she realized she had been scammed. The scammer even called the next day and asked for more money.

Scams like this one typically run outside the country, making investigating and prosecuting these scammers almost impossible.

Senior citizens are especially vulnerable to these scams, since they are usually on fixed incomes and cannot afford to lose this kind of money.

"[We] won't do some things that we might have," Ross said. "[We] won't get a new refrigerator or go someplace we might have."

Now, Ross and her grandkids have a secret password, and she encourages others to do the same.

"I've lost faith in a lot of things," she said. "I really don't trust anybody except my husband and my kids."