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Senior Citizen Warns of Wire Scam in Grand Valley

by KREX News Room
by Cori Coffin

Story Created: Nov 10, 2012 at 12:03 AM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 10, 2012 at 9:12 AM MDT

MESA COUNTY, Colo.- Mesa County authorities say the elderly are being targeted in a scam that was popular last year, and a Clifton resident has already become a victim.

Dorris Wilson, a senior citizen with several grandchildren, says she received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson.

The person on the other end of the line said he had been in an accident and told Wilson that she would have to wire $2,000 right away to fix the situation.

It wasn't until later that Wilson made some calls and found out it was a scam.

"I'm not going to starve because I lost [the money], but I know it would be a lot of money for a lot of people that don't get very much money in Social Security, so I'm just trying to let people know that this is going around," said Wilson.

"They use panic and alarm. They pull on the emotions of our grandparents and get them to the point where they really want to be helpful," explained Heather Benjamin with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities have some tips for recognizing this type of scam. Be wary if: the person that calls doesn't immediately offer their name, they say not to tell anyone about the situation and require money to be sent right away. Residents should always ask to call them back to verify the truth first.

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of a scam can report it to the authorities at 242-6707.

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Anonymous said on Saturday, Nov 10 at 11:48 AM

how many decades has this scam been around? news?

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