Henriette Crampton is no pushover.

When the Chilliwack grandmother received a call from her grandson in Montreal who said he was in jail, and he didn't want her to tell anybody, she figured the young man should get out of the situation himself.

"I said 'No, I'm not sending you any money.' He said 'But . . .' and I said 'No but. Bye,'" she told the Times.

Crampton was absolutely convinced it was her grandson, but she didn't like that he told her to keep it a secret.

"I recognized it as my grandson's voice," she said. "For a while I was quite sure it was him. But I didn't send him any money because if he has to keep a secret, he can deal with his own problem."

It turned out to be a scam and it was a good thing Crampton is a stern grandmother.

And she's not the only one who was called in Chilliwack last week.

On Jan. 31, Mounties responded to another residence in response to a telephone scam just like the one Crampton received. An officer attended that residence and was able to intercept a second call and confirm that it was in fact a scam.

The scam began when an elderly woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be her adult grandson. The man told the woman that he had been in a car accident in Montreal as a result of being impaired. He advised the woman to attend a Western Union office and send him $2,500 for his legal fees.

Crampton's caller said the same thing about the car accident, but the scam artist never got around to the money part before she hung up on him.

She later called her daughter and found out the caller couldn't possibly have been her grandson.

"This is not the first time we have come across this type of scam," said Cst. Tracy Wolbeck. "It is very stressful for the person receiving the call and they are often at a loss for what to do. It was very timely that our officer was at the residence for the second call and was able to speak directly to the suspect."

Crampton can't figure out if it's a clever scam or a coincidence that she has a grandson living in Laval, and the caller sounded just like him.

The RCMP warned the public to be aware that these types of scams are happening and to be very cautious when speaking to people who identify themselves as family members.

Mounties advise anyone who receives such a call to ask the caller something only a real family member would know: the name of a family pet growing up or inquire about a holiday the family went on together. If these questions cannot be answered accurately, disconnect and do not continue to engage the caller.

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com