Posted at: 10/24/2012 7:49 AM
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Email to a FriendNorthern Iowa Couple Loses Nearly $5,000 To Scam
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - The grandson-in-trouble phone scam has worked on a Mason City couple who lost nearly $5,000 to convincing crooks.
The Mason City Globe Gazette says Bob and Darlene Inman got a call Friday from someone who said he was their grandson and was being jailed in Mexico.
They knew their grandson, Gabe, traveled a lot, so the scenario being painted via a long-distance call was plausible.
They wired money for bail and a lawyer to Cancun, Mexico. They tried to reach an official in Mexico on Saturday but couldn't, so they called Gabe's home. He was there, safe.
Bob Inman reported the scam to Mason City police and learned there was little chance of recovering the money.
Inman hopes other people learn from the mistake he and his wife made.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/
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