SEQUIM — Jeff Lundstrom thought it was a little suspicious when a 79-year-old woman approached him to ask how she could wire $1,900 to her grandson who was in trouble and at the American embassy in Barcelona, Spain.
She already had made a withdrawal from the bank and had cash in hand.
“As soon as I hear that, it’s just a big red flag,” said Lundstrom, who has worked as an assistant store manager at the Sequim QFC supermarket in Bell Creek Plaza on East Washington Street for more than two years.
QFC is a Western Union outlet that wires money for a fee.
Lundstrom, who also owns Nelson’s Duckpond & Lavender Farm in Carlsborg and has worked for QFC stores for 20 years, talked her out of it last week.
Before she forked over the money, Lundstrom recommended she find her grandson’s real whereabouts.
“While she was here, she was able to call her son and found [her grandson] was not in Barcelona, Spain,” Lundstrom said.
“She was so upset and rattled by the whole thing.”
A similar scam was attempted in Port Townsend six months ago or longer, said Port Townsend Sgt. Ed Green.
“They averted it,” he said.
“When they got off the phone, they called their grandson and found out he was fine.”
Green wrote a search warrant to track it down, found out when the call came in, contacted the phone company and was told the call was untraceable.
He hasn’t heard of any other attempts since, he said Thursday.
Port Angeles Deputy Chief Brian Smith said it’s a common scam but was not aware of a recent occurrence in town.
The woman targeted at the Sequim QFC, Sylvia Latshaw of Sequim, said she has learned to be suspicious in the future of those who ask for money.
Latshaw said she was victimized two times before for more than $50,000, one being an investment scam and the other a phone scam of “a few thousand dollars.”
She said she reported it to Sequim Police Department, but it said it could not do anything about it because the phone number likely was “pirated.”
“I really want to help other women who are just as gullible as I am,” Latshaw said.
“Love gets in the way of good, logical thinking.”
Latshaw said the man claiming to be her grandson Thursday, April 19, told her he had traveler’s insurance and expected it to compensate him in about a week.
But, he told her, “I’m coming home tomorrow,” she said.
Knowing her grandson was a world traveler, she did not question the story.
She said his younger voice sounded unlike her grandson’s, but the scammer said his mouth and nose had been injured, affecting his speech.
“The guy was good because she was willing to send him money,” Lundstrom said.
That is until Lundstrom started questioning Latshaw and talked her out of it.
Lundstrom said the con artist apparently even knew that QFC does not report Western Union wire orders of anything less than $2,000.
Scams like these are nothing new, Sequim Police Lt. Sheri Crain said.
Too many others are duped by scammers. Trusting senior citizens often are the unwitting target.
“A couple of victims in the county had actually given money,” Crain said.
“It’s another variation of a scam, and it has been happening in the area.”
Crain warns that anyone who is asked over the phone or online to send money should not do so and instead should contact local law enforcement.
“The best thing is to prevent things like this from happening,” Crain said.
“Variations of wire scams happen all the time. We handle these things all the time.”
Latshaw believes scammers get family information from Facebook pages.
“You can find out for heaven sake about anyone on Facebook,” she said.
She said she was grateful to Lundstrom for his graciousness and help.
“He was so kind,” she said.
“I am overwhelmed by his kindness.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2390 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
