COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A money scam recently hit too close to home for one Lexington County family, cashing in not only on their bank account, but on their emotions.
Donna Bellotti, 76 of Pelion, says she recently received a phone call from who she thought was her grandson stating that he was in a Mexican prison after being arrested for driving under the influence.
While for some that may sound unrealistic, Donna says her grandson lives and works near the Mexican border in Arizona. "He sounded like he had a severe cold, coughing, sneezing while I was talking to him," said Donna. "That camouflaged his true voice, so it sounded just like him with a bad severe cold."
Bellotti says the man they believed was their grandson asked the couple not to say anything to anyone about the arrest. Shortly after his call, Donna and her husband received a call from a man who stated he was their grandson's attorney. "He said he needed $2800 to clear his records of DUI, and I believed him," said Donna.
The Bellotti's and authorities believe the scammers had done their homework all the way down to the nearest locations the couple could wire money from in Pelion. After wiring the first amount, Donna says the attorney called back for more.
"He said there was a new charge against [my grandson,]" said Donna. That new charge would cost an additional $5500 and the attorney told Donna she would have to break-up the amount and wire it from two different locations.
Worried about her grandson's well-being, Donna attempted to wire the split amounts to an alleged Mexican city official. While one amount went through, she says she later received a call from the "attorney" telling her the second had not. Bellotti said it was when she went back to a nearby Walmart that a clerk stopped her and said she felt she was being scammed.
Unable to send the amount, Donna received yet another phone call from the attorney. This time she demanded to talk to her grandson, who Donna said then came on the phone screaming and crying for help. "I didn't know whether I was coming or going at that point," said Donna. "I said, ‘What if it's really him and it's not a scam and they're hurting him?' Because he was really carrying on and I believed this."
Donna and her husband had kept the saga to themselves, but at this point broke the news to their daughter who insisted she would try reaching out to her grandson. Within a matter of moments they were able to confirm he was okay, but in a day and a half the scammers had collected more than 5,000 dollars.
"It's a crime against not only just financially, but it's a crime against emotions," said Donna's daughter, Linda McNutt. "[The scammers] don't realize the effects it can have on not just your parents, your grandparents, brothers and sisters to see a family member go through that, (and) the mistrust that comes after being a victim like that."
Lexington County Sheriff James Metts says while they frequently handle scam case, over the past year they have only covered four realistic phone call scams similar to the Bellotti's.
"The more realistic that the scam artist can paint the scenario, the more likely the person is to respond because they deal with emotions and they deal with crises," said Sheriff Metts ."It's got to be done now."
But the Sheriff says the first thing you should do if you get a call like this is to slow down. "The first red flag is if someone tells you you've got to do something NOW," said Metts. "NOW…. They put that urgency in there to take away that opportunity for you to verify."
The Sheriff says you can try to gain information like a name and phone number from the caller to verify their identity, but you can also respond by just hanging up. He says if it is a true emergency, the person that needs help should be able to reach other family members, as well.
Authorities say the Bellotti's will not be able to recover the stolen funds because the crime occurred in another county. While Donna says it's disappointing because it was money they had been trying to save, she says she's thankful for her family and the Walmart clerk who stepped in to stop the scam from going further, "I haven't been up to Walmart, but next time I go up there I want to thank that woman," said Donna. "I hope I meet her up there again."
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