I'd like you to meet Marlene Holman, a 74-year-old grandmother who lives on Hartsten Island, near Shelton.

Telephone con artists in Canada took her for a ride.

"It's mean," she said. "Even if they don't get the money, it's mean."

A caller pretended to be her 19-year-old grandson. And he had quite the sob story.

He said he'd gone to Canada for a hockey game and was caught driving drunk after the game.

"And there was a fender bender so they got picked up and he was in jail in Vancouver."

He wanted grandma to wire him money -- $3,900 to cover his bail. Mrs. Holman was suspicious.

"It didn't quite sound like him but he was crying and it was bad connection," she said.

And he had an accomplice who got on the phone and pretended to be a cop.

She tried to call his parents, but they weren't home. So she went to the bank and wired off the money.

The bad guys in Canada are calling people all around Western Washington. Too many are falling for the scam.

It may sound cruel, but you should never wire off money to someone who calls in distress until you've had the time to verify the story.

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