An 81-year-old Okatie man who wired more than $10,000 to a Mexico City Walmart this week fell victim to a "grandparent scam," the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office believes.

The man wired the money in three separate transactions from Walmart on Robert Smalls Parkway after someone claiming to be his grandson called saying he was being held by police in Mexico City, according to police reports. Another person claiming to be the grandson's lawyer got on the phone and said he needed $4,000 for bond and $2,000 for legal fees to free the grandson.

A third money order for $4,700 was rejected because the scammers could not answer a security question. All told, the victim lost $6,000.

When the victim called his daughter, his grandson answered the phone. He then reported the incident to the Sheriff's Office on April 5.

For more information about this and other scams targeting grandparents, go to www.consumerfed.org/fraud.