Woman reports $1,750 scam

COEUR d’ALENE — A Post Falls woman reported Saturday she was scammed out of nearly $2,000 earlier this month.

According to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s report, the victim received a phone call on Jan. 7. The caller claimed to be her grandson, who said he had traveled to Mexico for a friend’s funeral.

“While a friend of his was driving him back to the airport after the funeral, the police stopped the vehicle and arrested them for possession of drugs,” the report said.

The victim said she then talked with another man who said he was with the U.S. Embassy. He asked the woman to send $1,750 for the grandson’s bail via MoneyGram, which she did. 

Saturday, the woman received a call from her grandson, and she asked him about the arrest in Mexico. 

“He did not know what she was talking about, and that was not him that called her on Jan. 7,” the report said.

The woman believed then she was the victim of a scam.