WOODBURN, Ore. – The voice on the other end of the phone sounded desperate.

"This is your favorite grandson," the person said. He was in jail, in Canada, following a car crash. And he didn’t have his credit card to make bail. Could she also keep his crash and imprisonment a secret?

The Woodburn grandmother said yes and sent $5,300 to help out the person on the phone who said she was her grandson, but it was actually someone just looking fleece another worried grandparent.

The family of the woman said she has 10 children and 50 grandchildren, making it easier for the crooks to play on confusion and guilt.

It’s a scam police say is spreading and is working. Victims include residents in Oregon and Washington.

Investigators advise families to meet once or twice a year and warn older family members of the scam and to put in place safeguards to protect themselves.

Anyone calling and asking for money in an "emergency" situation should be asked a lot of questions, including personal questions that only that person should know, such as the name of their grade school, a pet’s name, or the name of another relative.

Also, family members should agree on a code word to be used only in emergencies, and grandparents should never be ashamed or pressured into action if the person does not know it or claims to have forgotten it.

Authorities are trying to find the perpetrators but said that once money has been sent, usually through a wire service, the chances of getting it back are very slim.