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Administrator
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Received this email from Seawolf Jim Walker with permission to post:
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Hi,
I hope that this Android can handle this. This is not a joke or a forwarded story.
Friday morning I received a call on our home phone. There was a pause and a young man's voice said, "Grandpa, can you hear me? I answered that I could and said, "Wes, what it up?"
...Wes is my grandson, an Air Force Airman, stationed in Clovis, New Mexico. In his life we normally only talk about three times a year when I am in Pensacola, Florida. But, it sounded like his voice.
He went on to say how he could not talk very long because he had gone to one of his friend's wedding in Mexico City, Mexico, had too much to drink, had an accident in his rental car and was arrested for DUI and he was in jail in Mexico City.
He said that the police had taken his possessions and would not release him or his possessions until his bail was paid. He was allowed the one brief phone call and he made it to me and did not want me to talk to anybody else about this.
He further said that they had given him an attorney to help with the process and he gave this attorney the telephone.
An older voice got on the phone and identified himself as, Miguel Dominguez. He told me was that was the deal in Mexico. The bail was $900.00 US. Once he received it, via Western Union, Mexico City, Mexico, Wes would be released. I got his phone number. He assured me that Wes had promised to pay me back as soon as he could.
I asked to talk to Wes again and was told that he had been returned to his cell.
I said to bring him back because I was sending the money but needed to talk to him for a minute.
After a couple of minutes the younger voice was on the phone, I asked him how he knew my number if they took his wallet and cell phone. He said they gave him his cell phone to make the call and I was in his list... That made sense. But, in the meantime I am thinking of this $900 one way to Western Union with no cancellation capability. So, to verify it was him, I asked, "Wes, what was the name of your father's Doberman?" He answered, "Who?" I said, "Your father's Doberman Pinscher, what was his name?"
The phone call disconnected.
So I think this is a scam or his cellphone just ran out of battery. Not wanting the boy to rot in a Mexican jail, I call his father and tell him the story and ask if Wes has said anything about going to a wedding in Mexico. My son told me that he had talked to Wes the evening before in Clovis New Mexico but would call to make sure that he didn't fly down to Mexico City on a red eye. We got ahold of Wes. He was in Clovis.
For many reasons the scam was well conducted. You might relay this to other grandpas. The "Wes" voice continually referred to me as Grandpa...not Grandpa Jim or Grandpa Walker, as was his habit.
I relayed this to the FCC. They took the info and the attorney's number but did not seem too concerned and referred me to a website which taught people how to avoid phone scams.
I asked about the dog because if Wesley had been hacked, the perpetrators might well have had the names of his family and other information. But, they would not know his old dog's name.
How did they get ahold of Wes's information?
Two days before he was in the emergency room in the civilian hospital for food poisoning. His personal effects we're somewhere other than with him. We figured that someone in the hospital got the information and sent it to their scammer pals.
So...beware...THEY ARE OUT THERE!!!
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Makes me wonder too! I have been getting a lot of phone calls on my cell recently that I don't know and don't answer. And they don't leave a message.
Something had to have happened recently to allow this as I only use my cell for emergencies and don't give the number to anyone except family members.
Dan
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