A Fort Wayne grandfather is out $2,300 after getting a bogus phone call from someone claiming to be his grandson who said he was in a wreck and needed money to pay the people he hit, according to a statement from the BBB of Northern Indiana.

The man got the call Wednesday that said the people the grandson struck “are originally from Spain, but are here in Fort Wayne.”

He asked the grandfather to send $2,300 to Spain through Western Union and not to tell his parents.

“Unfortunately, the man acted right away, sent the money and then found out his grandson was in school all day,” the Better Business Bureau statement said.

In another northern Indiana case, the BBB statement said, a man got a call Thursday morning from someone claiming to be his nephew.

The caller said he was being held in a Lima, Peru, jail and needed money immediately because a hearing would be conducted at lunchtime.

Again, the caller asked that no other relatives be contacted.

In that case, the uncle was asked to go to a nearby Kroger store to speed up the process.

When hanging up, the “nephew” said “Goodbye grandpa,” which sent up red flags.

Instead of sending money, the BBB said the man called relatives and learned that the nephew was in California with family at the time.

The BBB urges those who get similar “grandparent scam” calls to call the BBB toll-free at 800-552-4631.

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http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120126/NEWS07/120129586