New phone schemes are circulating in area; police say hang up phone

By Marlene J. Bohr
mbohr@steelcountrybee.com
 
If you received a call that your grandson was in trouble and needed money, you would probably react as this East Texas woman did.
June John received a call from an ‘unknown number,’ and the person at the other end played out the scenario that it was her grandchild calling.
The man on the phone playing her grandson told her he was in Ecuador and needed money. He gave a scenario of why he was there with a friend and caught a ride to the airport with someone. They were stopped by the police who found drugs in the car, and she was told her grandson was jailed along with the driver. She was instructed to send $1,000 by Western Union to get him out of jail.
“They repeated over and over not to tell anyone about the call and to get cash from the bank and take it to Western Union,” Mrs. John said. “I asked if it was my grandson, Brandon, as I have a few grandsons and it sounded like him. The voice said it was.
“They again repeated not to tell anyone, even his parents. I finally realized this wasn’t on the up and up and I hung up and called the police.”
 

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