New Port Richey grandma loses $7,000 after scammer claims grandson needs money to get out of jail

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - When 95-year-old Rosemary Potter picked up the phone this past Friday, she thought she was talking to her great-grandson. 

While on the phone, the caller, who she thought was her family member, said he'd gotten a DUI and that his lawyer was going to reach out. That’s when the second phone call came. 

"He called me right away, and he said that it takes $7,200 to get him out of jail," Potter said. 

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The New Port Richey resident told FOX 13 she just wanted to help her family member in need. 

"I was so upset at that time, because I went straight to the bank," Potter said.

When the teller questioned the large amount, Potter responded with the prepared excuse the caller had given her. 

"She said, ‘What are you using all this money for?’ And I said, ‘Well I had work to be done on the house, and he wants cash,’" Potter said. 

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After getting the money, Potter did as the caller told her to do: She put it in an envelope in a shoebox and wrote her great-grandson’s "case number" on it.

That’s when a man showed up to her house to pick up the shoebox of money. Potter said she wasn’t afraid, because all she could focus on was her great-grandson.  

"I wasn't even thinking about anything but him," Potter said. 

But on Monday, the callers reached out again and said they needed more money. Potter went back to the bank to pull out more money – $5,000. This time, the bank teller didn’t buy her excuse and called police. 

"I was concerned about my grandma," grandson Jason Anderson said. 

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He said he drove from his Indiana home to Florida when he heard what happened.  

"They came to her house," Anderson said. "My concern was that there's someone coming to her house right now. They can come back at any time."

Anderson said the scammers initially called Potter’s landline. He’s not sure how they got her address, and it’s unclear if the 95-year-old revealed it during one of the phone conversations.

We’re still waiting for the Pasco County Sheriff’s office to answer our questions about the case.

Anderson told FOX 13 that detectives told him this scam could’ve originated overseas and that the man who showed up to Potter’s house was possibly a delivery driver, who picked up the money and dropped it off at a separate location. 

"They feed on people's emotions as they're doing this. It's very unfortunate," Anderson said. 

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The family is just hoping their story will protect others. 

"Be smarter than I was," Potter said. 

Pasco County deputies did confirm they are aware of these types of scams. If this happens to you, the sheriff’s office said you should hang up immediately, do not pay any money, and call the relative directly to verify the information.