Scam tugs at the heart and wallet

PIQUA, Ohio (WDTN) - You'll quickly find the welcome sign outside the Etter's home isn't just for show, but recently someone they rolled out the welcome mat for decided to walk all over it.

"They say there's nothing that can be done about it," says Ned Etter. "That's heartbreaking."

It started with a call from their grandson. He'd been in a crash in Greece and needed money.

He said six times, 'I love you grandpa,'" Etter says. "You could feel that hug right over the telephone."

So the Etter's did what any good grandparents would.

They wired him $4,000.

But it wasn't enough. The next day he called back asking for more.

"He needed another $4,800 so we sent that to him," Etter says.

By now you've probably realized this was all a setup.

So did the Etter's, refusing to wire money a third time to the person posing as their grandson.

But by then they were already out nearly $9,000.

Those with the Better Business Bureau say they've seen more of this scam in the last year.

"It's a hard one because grandparents want to help their grand children," says Dayton BBB President John North. "They want to get them out of a tough situation."

So 2 NEWS asked what you need to watch out for so you don't fall victim to the same scam.   

"You need to ask a lot of questions and put them on the spot," North says.

In just the week since the scam the Etter's say they've had others try to take advantage of them, but they've refused to take the bait.

As for those who stole from them, the Etter's do have one more thing they'd like to wire them.

"When they get to Hell and I'm standing there in Heaven looking at them, I'm going to ask them if they'd like a nice drink of this ice water," Etter says.