Personal warning by Roger Lanse

Yesterday, Jan. 9, 2018, we received a phone call. When we looked at the caller ID, it displayed our own name and phone number. That was unusual. The caller advised us that it was our grandson and that he was in trouble in Monterrey, Mexico. The caller said he had “fallen off the wagon,” been drinking a little too much, been involved in an auto accident and was being held at the police station. The caller said he needed $500 to pay off the police and the person he hit so he could be released. The caller said he and a friend had received free tickets for airfare to a concert there in Monterrey, and that’s why they were there.

Since one of our grandsons did live for a while in Tampico, but was now in Los Angeles doing well following drug rehabilitation, we kind of wondered if he had regressed. He never did really take to living in Tampico and was doing really well when we last saw him about a week ago, so we wondered, “Is it George (not his real name)?”

Being unsure who the “grandson” was on the other end of the line, we asked, “Is this “George?”, and the caller said, “Yes,” I think the whole scam hinged on us revealing the name of one of our grandsons – then he could say “Yes, that’s who I am.”

Well, being a little taken in, but still not completely snookered, as we offered no money, we called our grandson’s dad and he said, “Monterrey?!! I just talked to him in Los Angeles.” Then we remembered reading about such a scam a while back and were sure glad we didn’t fall head over heels for it.

Of course, we thought of numerous ways we could have nipped this thing in the bud after we hung up. Ask the “grandson,” “What’s your mother’s name, your father’s name, where were you born, where do you live now, etc.?"

Be careful, you never know for sure who that telephone voice belongs to.

Editor's Note This editor last year received a call from her "granddaughter," saying she had been in an auto accident and needed money. Since our granddaughter doesn't yet drive, I was suspicious. When I asked if her mother was OK, the caller hung up. Be wary of calls from your "grandchildren!"