A couple from north-central Iowa was ripped off by the old grandson-in-trouble phone scam. Bob and Darlene Inman of Mason City got a call last week from someone claiming to be their grandson, Gabe, saying that he was in jail in Cancun, Mexico.
The Inmans knew their grandson traveled a lot and recently won a trip through work, so they thought it could be possible that he was there and in jail. They wired $5,000 for bail money to a person they thought was a lawyer in Cancun.
They tried, but failed to reach an official in Mexico on Saturday and then decided to call Gabe’s house, where they learned that he was safe and not in jail. Bob Inman reported the scam to Mason City police, who told him there wasn’t much of a chance that they’d get back the money.
The Inmans are hoping other people can learn from what’s happened to them.
By Bob Fisher, KGLO, Mason City