To the editor:
Last week as I was doing kitchen chores I got a very welcome phone call from my grandson.
As soon as I said hello he said, “Hi grandma, guess where I am?”
I said “where?” Thinking he would say in town then I would say come on out. But no, he said, “Pardon my voice, I’m getting a cold. I’m in Montreal.”
I asked him why and he said a friend of his was getting married and the person who was to go with him got sick, so he asked me to go with him. The trip had been prepaid and we would be there for a week. He said the wedding was grand.
He then told me he had got in some trouble and said he felt that only I could keep this a secret until he got back home in a week. I said I would tell no one. He thanked me.
I asked him what had happened. It seemed him and his friend were out walking when all of a sudden they were taunted by some men’s voices behind them, and at first they just tried to ignore them, but finally it got too personal and my grandson turned around and pushed one of them. He fell down and hit his head and that fellow’s buddy took off.
My grandson sent his friend to get help and when they came, so did the buddy and told the police a whole different story. They ended up at the hospital, then the police station where there were lawyers. They got the charges dropped against my grandson but the hurt man didn’t have hospital insurance and he was from the United States.
Now, all this was really psyching me out. He said he couldn’t get his money out of his bank until he got back home. And since he was too embarrassed to let his people know, if I could send him the money he would get it back to me when he got home.
I said that would be wonderful honey, but I have no money, he yelled “aaaah” and hung up.
I immediately tried to check the phone number at *69 but it said the number was unavailable, so I realized I better call my grandson’s cell number. My grandson answered and I said, “Where are you?” He said he was at work.
I told him the story and we both agreed it was good for once not to have money at the ready. I realized it was a hoax and it is still going around. So be careful, people, these shysters are everywhere.
Agnes Ramstedt
Lone Butte
Editor’s note: information on scams is readily available online at sites, such as http://www.snopes.com/fraud/distress/family.asp.
