The voice on the telephone was upset and rambling. The man told of a vacation, a car accident in Mexico and a friend who was in a scrape with police.

The grandparents were concerned. They agreed to wire $2,400 to help fix the problem. The man sounded relieved.

However, the phone calls didn’t stop there. The caller had more problems and needed more cash. Within 30 minutes of wiring the money, the Sammamish couple knew better. They had been scammed.

“He fooled both of us,” the grandfather said. The victim asked not to be named.

The couple had twisted their love for their grandchildren into weakness, and now he wouldn’t leave them alone. The phone calls that came later were received coolly. Even when they stopped answering, the phone calls continued.

It was the second “grandson” scam in Sammamish in a week, said King County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jessica Sullivan. The first victims lost $90,000 over the course of four days.

While there could be a possible connection – the stories were similar and the money from both incidents ended up in California – they don’t know for sure, she said.

All that police can do now is follow the money, and hope that Western Union has video footage of the people picking up the cash.

The part of the scams that is so surprising is how much information the thieves had, even before the couples picked up the phone.

The man who got $2,400 sounded eerily like the couple’s grandson. He knew exactly what to call the grandparents and used the right nickname for himself. He also had the grandmother’s cellphone number.

“It struck me as very possible,” the grandfather said. “After he told me he was in trouble, I didn’t need anymore details.”

The scammer begged them not to tell his father.

Nevertheless, the grandfather asked his son to ask him if he knew where the grandson was. He was told that he was at home, in the Seattle area.

The grandfather called the grandson right away, he said. “He swore up and down that it wasn’t him.”

At first there was relief, the grandson was OK, but then there was a desire for justice.

And the scammer continued to call.

Scams of this nature typically ramp up, police say. The thieves ask for more and more money, and the story grows grander.

That’s what happened to the couple that lost $90,000. They sent three money orders, the third for $77,500.

“I really feel for that family,” the grandfather said. In old age, “that’s something you can’t recover from.”

Red Flags

– If you’re asked to send money quickly and secretly

– The call or message originates from overseas

– The person can’t or won’t answer questions that the only the real person would know

– Any time someone asks you to send money by Western Union or Moneygram, it’s invariably a scam. You might also be asked to send a check or money order.