Jailed ‘grandson’ scam costs Hilton Head man $12,000 in Target gift cards

A Hilton Head Island man was scammed out of $12,000 in Target gift cards earlier this month after a man called claiming his grandson had been arrested and needed the cards to expedite a bond hearing.

A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy noted in a report taken Tuesday that the man received calls from a person identifying himself as an attorney named “Scott Nelson” on May 9, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.

Nelson said he was representing the man’s grandson who visited Miami and was arrested. Nelson claimed the man’s grandson was arrested when an Uber vehicle he was a passenger in was pulled over with illegal drugs in the car.

The only way to expedite the grandson’s bond hearing, Nelson said, would be for the man to provide him with $4,000 in the gift cards, the report said.

The man told the deputy that he remembered speaking with a man he believed to be his grandson, who told him to not tell his parents about the alleged arrest until “the time was right,” the report said.

After he spoke with his alleged grandson, the man went to Target, bought the gift cards and went home where he called Nelson back and gave him the card numbers.

Shortly after, the man received another phone call from Nelson advising that the bond hearing had worked out, but he now needed another $4,000 in gift cards for bail.

The man went back to Target, bought $4,000 more in gift cards, called Nelson back and gave him the card numbers, the report said.

The same day, Nelson called back and said the card numbers did not work for the most recent $4,000 paid, so the man returned to Target for a third time to purchase another $4,000 in gift cards and provided Nelson with the card numbers.

The next morning, Nelson called again and said his grandson would need another $4,000 for a flight home.

When the man went back to Target to buy more gift cards, a manager told him the calls were a scam and he needed to report the crime, the report said.

After he reported the calls to the deputy, the man said he would like to pursue charges, should the Nelson be identified.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Jailed ‘grandson’ scam costs Hilton Head man $12,000 in Target gift cards."