St. Helena Island couple victims of fake grandson scam

A St. Helena Island couple lost $3,880 after falling victim to a scam set up by a man who claimed to be their grandson and in trouble in Mexico.

The scam happened between March 11 and March 18 but was reported to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday, according to the department’s report.

A deputy arrived at the couple’s Palmetto Point residence and first spoke with a woman who said she received a phone call from an unknown number from person claiming to be her grandson.

When she picked up the phone, the unknown man said “Hi Grandma,” the report said.

The woman immediately responded with her grandson’s name, and the man hung up.

At that point, the woman said she thought it was a strange call, because her grandson does not call her “Grandma.”

A week later, the man called back and used the grandson’s name to identify himself. He told the woman’s husband he was in Mexico City, had been in a car accident and needed money to pay for the damage, the report said.

The couple then got another call from a man who identified himself as “Kevin Reiber” and said he worked for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.

“Reiber” told the couple their grandson had been charged with reckless driving and needed $1,980 for the damage to one of the vehicles.

The couple sent him two installments of $990, the report said.

“Reiber” called again and said there was an issue with their grandson being released from jail and that an additional $1,900 was needed for damage to the other vehicle allegedly involved in the crash, the report said.

The St. Helena man told deputies he and his wife sent an additional two payments of $950.

The person who said he was their grandson then called and said he’d been released and missed his flight home. He said he was on stand-by at an airport and would call them when he came back, the report said.

At that point, the St. Helena man contacted his grandson, who said he was at home in Texas and did not have a passport to travel to Mexico, the report said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 2:03 PM with the headline "St. Helena Island couple victims of fake grandson scam."