Roanoke County grandparents fall victim to alleged fraud

By Mollie Halpern
Investigative Reporter
Published: October 1, 2008

Anna and “Red” are proud grandparents…
So, when they got a call from who they thought was their grandson saying he was in trouble—they were happy to help.
“And he said I need 3100 dollars”, said Anna.
The caller told them he needed bond money because he had been charged with drunk driving while partying on vacation in Toronto, Canada.
He explained away his unrecognizable voice by claiming he had a cold.
He even called Anna by her pet name.
Anna says, “He had called me Mimo, so why wouldn’t I think I was talking to my grandson?“
The caller told them to send cash using Money-gram from Wal-mart.
So they did—and their reciept shows that it cost them another 62 dollars to do so.
When Anna and Red later spoke to their grandson—he didn’t know what they were talking about.
Red says, “He was shocked, he was completely in shock!“
Anna adds, “I was astonished when I found out he’d never been to Canada. I never dreamed this could happen.“
Wal-mart employees tell ‘WSLS 10 On Your Side’ that they never send money grams to Canada—but just in the past week they’ve had 5 or 6 customers looking to do exactly that. 
Now they say they’re advising customers to call police before they send the money grams.
Roanoke county police have not received similar complaints.
But—they are investigating Anna and Red’s case—and plan to contact federal authorities.
In the meantime, they hope no one else falls victim. 
Anna says, “Please don’t fall for this like we did!“