Palm Beach County grandmother warns others after scammer poses as her grandson in jail

By Sooji Nam

Click here for updates on this story

    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A 76-year-old Palm Beach County grandmother was targeted by scammers – and is warning others about what could happen to them.

Imagine getting a call from someone who sounded like your grandson, saying he was in jail and needed money fast.

Barbara Meyers said happened to her on Tuesday.

“Telling me he was in jail, and he was in an accident. And it was a lady that was seven months pregnant, and he didn’t know if she was going to be okay,” Meyers told WPBF 25 News. “But I’m like … you don’t even have a driver’s license, and what are you doing in Florida with a 561 number?”

She said the scammer then gave her a number to a so-called lawyer.

“The ‘attorney’ says, ‘Well, his bond is $10,000. Can you wire that to us?’ And I said, ‘What?’ And then he said, ‘Well, if you don’t have $10,000, you can send $500 offshore,'” Barbara Meyers recollected.

She said she had reached out to her son and daughter-in-law and was waiting to hear back from them.

In the meantime, she called her friends in Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County to see if they could help investigate. She also called nearby detention centers to see if this was true.

“The lady said, ‘No, I’m sorry he’s not here. I think you got a scam on your hands,'” Meyers said.

Soon enough, she got her daughter-in-law on the phone, who confirmed that this was all a scam and that her grandson was OK.

Experts say, unfortunately, that “grandparent scams” are far too common.

“They’re a target just because of their gray hair. And if they’re well-educated and know what the signs are, this is very common, I think they can avoid it,” Pam Wiener, community outreach chair at the Partnership for Aging in Palm Beach County, told WPBF 25 News. She also serves in the Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family (Alpert JFS) guardianship program.

“They can verify with their relatives, or they can call the facility, or they can call the police and work on it,” Wiener said. “Pause, take a breath, get their number, which they’re not going to give you, and that’s a really good sign that it’s not legitimate.”

As for Meyers, she is relieved she did the right thing.

“I said, ‘I think I need a drink.’ But I don’t drink!” she laughed.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.