Another incident of the “grandparent scam” has been reported in Lake Tapps.

In the “grandparent scam,” featured in an article last week, scammers call households they know to be occupied by senior citizens, and claim to be a grandchild or other young relative. The scammer opens the phone call with a simple “Grandma?,” to bait the recipient into providing the younger relative’s name. The scammer will claim he is in trouble abroad and needs money wired right away.

Carol Ricketts received just such a call this week, her “grandchild” claiming to have been in a car wreck in Mexico.

Like the previous case, the caller did sound like Ricketts grandson. But she was suspicious and, after some time, insisted she would have to talk to the “grandson’s” parents first. He hung up, she said. A subsequent phone call to her grandson’s parents confirmed he was safe and sound at home.

Ricketts called Bonney Lake police, who referred her to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s office told her the number on her Caller ID was for a cell phone and couldn’t be traced.

Ricketts was called from 438-992-7319, a number from Montreal, Quebec in Canada. Readers who receive a call from this number, or a call that fits the suspicious circumstances described above, should break contact as soon as possible. Even if the caller sounds like your relative, always insist on verifying the person’s location with another relative.