An Eastpointe grandmother is scammed out of $5,000 when someone poses as her grandson in need of help.
It happened on Saturday to Betty living in East Pointe. She doesn’t want to be identified, but she does want to share her story, so no one else falls victim.
When she got the phone call, someone claiming to be her grandson, Kyle, told her he was in custody in Grand Rapids and he needed $5,000 to pay the ticket.
"I just answered the phone and this voice and it was Kyle,” said Betty.
The person pretending to be her 16 year-old grandson said he didn’t want to call his parents yet because he was scared and he needed help.
"Oh I believed it, certainly, I thought it was Kyle, it sounded just like him,” said Betty.
In her distress, when the fake Grand Rapids Police officer got on the phone and asked her to send $5,000 worth of Home Depot gift cards, she went ahead and bought them.
In retrospect, she knows that sounds like a scam, but she didn’t question it at the time.
She doesn’t want anyone else to fall for the scam like she did.
"I'm just trying to protect people, the money is gone,” said Betty.
She has filed a report with East Pointe Police. It appears the scammers may be based out of Canada and she likely won’t get her money back.
If you suspect you might be getting scammed, hang up, and call your local police right away, they can help.
