A caring eastern Iowa woman has been scammed by a young man she mistakenly thought was her grandson. The 79-year-old Davenport grandmother was defrauded out of $8,000 recently, after wiring money to a young man. The Quad City Times is reporting that the woman, identified only as Rose, said the young man had phoned her, claiming to be her grandson.
He told her he was in trouble and needed the money to get out of jail. After sending the money, Rose called a phone number he had left. When the young man finally answered, Rose caught him in a lie and knew she had been duped. The Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Department of Justice received several reports this week of similar calls targeting older people.
By Phil Roberts, Davenport