GRANDMOTHER SWINDLED OUT OF $2,500
• A 73-year-old Onalaska woman called the sheriff’s office yesterday when she realized she’d been tricked into sending $2,500 to a stranger. It happened late last month when she received a phone call from someone who identified himself as her grandson saying he was in New York where he’d gotten arrested for driving under the influence and needed the funds to get out of jail and get back to his base in Utah, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Rob Snaza said the caller sounded sounded like the victim’s grandson who is in the military residing in Utah. The caller put his “attorney” on the phone, who helped arrange for the grandmother to wire the money via a local Western Union service, according to Snaza. She subsequently has been in contact with her grandson and discovered it was not him, according to the sheriff’s office. Snaza says the sheriff’s office urges folks if they are ever suspicious of something that could be a scam to call 911. Investigators are trying to figure out how the caller knew the young man’s details, Snaza said, but cautioned people might consider personal information they post online in places such as Facebook.
VEHICLE THEFT
• A green 2001 Honda Accord was reported stolen from a residence on the 100 block of West Roanoke Street in Centralia yesterday. The missing car has a black fender on its passenger side, according to the Centralia Police Department.
VEHICLE PROWL
• Police were called about 12:20 p.m. yesterday about a car prowl in which someone stole a stereo from the 100 block of Virginia Drive in Centralia.
VANDALISM
• Chehalis police were called yesterday to a home on Southwest Gales Avenue where the 30-year-old resident said someone cut the wires on his house for the telephone and internet overnight. There is no suspect, according to police.
DRUGS
• A 41-year-old Centralia man picked up on a warrant overnight was allegedly found with a zipper case in his pocket that contained suspected methamphetamine and scales. Harold J. Bland was taken in to custody about 1:50 a.m. at a gas station on the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia, according to police. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession with intent to deliver, Sgt. Kurt Reichert said.
AND OTHER STUFF
• Also, as usual, various arrests for outstanding warrants, and misdemeanors such as shoplifting and marijuana.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
It is just so sad how predatory the world has become. Security is more important than ever. It really is a case of trust nothing just based on surface appearance.
GRANDMOTHER SWINDLED OUT OF $2,500 Just Last week the Sheriff wanted you to be a Face Book Friend and now they say dont post to face book……Really… I’m confused….
They already tried to get a friend of mine . She lives in Montana and she is a real live cowgirl and she phoned me and asked me “Where the hell are you ? ” I said right here at home , she said she got a call from Cyprus from a jail that said I was in big trouble and needed several thousand dollars and would pay her back when I got home. I said what the F kind trouble would I be in to go that far and she said where the hell is that anyway ? I said I think it’s in Greece and that would be some kind of trouble to go that far. She almost sent it but just happened to try my cell and I answered . They called a Fed. who was a buddy of theirs and alerted them but these people had all my info . Also they use your e-mail contacts to get ya too. It’s nice to know a friend would bail me out , she the kind of gal that would also help me bury the body with no questions asked. Up hill in the hills we call that BFF.
“The fraudsters are targetting Lewis County”
I agree. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact they feel confident they can elude the Barney Fife LCSO.
At this point, I would have to they they’re right.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people feel “safe” posting their very detailed life on facebook or twitter or where ever. Even scarier when they post that they will be gone from home on vacation, or that their husband has “left the kids & me for a few days” to go hunting, etc. That just seems like an invite for trouble! Not that this Granny did anything wrong, but people forget that public social forums can be great communicators – good or otherwise.
I work at a bank and this has been happening A LOT in our area. The fraudsters are targetting Lewis County… PLEASE tell this story to any older relatives that you have so that they are aware. Also, the Western Union employees should be made aware of this, because they are the last line of defense that could stop this from happening.
The RICO statue stipulates that:
“The RICO statute was also designed for civil cases, with the intent to function as a restorative tool for victims of racketeering. The law stipulates that individuals who have sustained injury to property or business due to racketeering activity may sue and are entitled to threefold the amount of their losses.”
This would mean that, with a decent lawyer, granny could be compensated with as much as $7,500.
Don’t get me wrong…like anybody, I would LOVE to see the headlines in the Chronicle that says, “Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Busts Up International Crime Syndicate: Intrepid detectives put the lid on group that targeted local granny!”
But it will NEVER happen.
So sad.
The person who took that old woman’s money should be shot. Aminals like that have no rights to breath free air.
I don’t expect anything to happen unfortunately since the old lady is most likely poor. Unless of course the case gets handed off to the Feds since it sounds like an interstate crime, which would fall under the RICO statute.
But, I don’t expect it will unfortunately. I’m sure the LCS prefers to keep all investigations IN-HOUSE.
So sad.
It might not be a bad idea to tell your older relatives, especially the ones who remember all about that thing called “trust”, that if they get a phone call from a “relative in trouble” they should not only call the police, but contact that relative as well… Hopefully, the cops can get enough information to trace where the money was sent/picked up at, and go from there…