Thread: Mexican Scam hits a parent's worst fear

Mar. 12, 2007 12:00 AM

With ASU on spring break this week, I want to remind you about a nasty scam that first surfaced last year.

It hit when Cindy Gagnon's 21-year-old son headed to Mexico for spring break. He called her from the border to say they'd made it safely. It's the kind of call parents love to get.

The next call wasn't nearly so nice. The woman on the phone said she was a dispatcher and that Gagnon's son had been in accident. She told how his car had been sideswiped by a large truck whose driver was drunk. Gagnon was told that her son had a severe head injury and was in critical condition. advertisement






And then it got worse. The dispatcher said that while Gagnon's son's vital signs were stable, he needed to get to the U.S. immediately. The best and quickest method was a helicopter air ambulance but the Mexican company needed $2,750 in advance.

Gagnon can tell you that the caller was good. She knew plenty of medical terms, acted very professional and concerned. She told Gagnon that the money would be wired to an insurance company in Michigan that would make the payment for her.

It was nearly 6 p.m. and Gagnon had just enough time to get to the bank. She didn't have time to debate or question. Like any good mother, she did what she thought she had to do to save her son's life. She wired the money.

That's when the steady stream of phone calls from the dispatcher stopped. With no more information, Gagnon's panic only increased.

And it was all for nothing.

Two and a half hours later, her son was tracked down. He was fine. There had been no accident, and no need for an air ambulance and no insurance company in Michigan. Not only had Gagnon been scammed, she'd been put through an emotional meat grinder.

While I haven't heard about anyone else being hit with the same scam, my gut tells me that the people behind last year's scam aren't going to let another spring break go by without trying it again.



Reach Call 12 for Action from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays at 1-866-260-1212.


http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... l0312.html

The 1st thing I would tell my kids, is DON'T EVER GO TO MEXICO! There are lots of nice resorts everywhere, without having to enter a nation of criminals and low-life scumbags.