CRESTVIEW — An elderly woman was scammed for nearly $2,000 during what officials are calling "a relative is in trouble" scam.
The 78-year-old woman told officials she received a call Wednesday from a man claiming to be her grandson. The man told her he was in a Mexican jail and needed money to get out and come back to America, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office press release.
He explained that he had been jailed after a car accident. She said the man didn't sound like her grandson, but thought the stress may have been affecting him.
A second man also spoke with the woman claiming to be her grandson's lawyer. The man said he needed $1,900 to get her grandson out of jail and instructed her to send it to a Western Union bank account.
The woman was told not to say anything so her grandson's plight to get back into the U.S. would not be disrupted.
The woman was able to send the money over, but later spoke with her grandson and learned that he had not been jailed or been outside the country. Later, though, the man claiming to be a lawyer called back asking for additional money.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office is investigating.