INSIDE EDITION Investigates Phone Scams Targeting Seniors

A scammer picked the wrong guy when she called with an elaborate plan to steal some cash. But, the quick-thinking grandpa could tell something was up and actually turned the tables on the caller. Inside Edition has the details.

The call sounds urgent, a woman giving you terrible news.

"I'm a criminal attorney working in Dallas, Texas," says the woman on the other end. "I'm calling in regards to an incident that occurred with a family member of yours."

She says your daughter's been in a car accident. Alcohol was involved and she's in jail. Her bail has been set at $5,300.

That call came to Robert Comer, a retiree from Minneapolis. He says the so-called "lawyer" on the other end told him she was representing his daughter Kari and she'd cut a deal with the prosecutor.  If she got the $5,300 now, Kari could get out of jail.  

"She will be losing her license for three months but she will not be getting a criminal record," she told Comer.  

Comer does have a daughter named Kari. Only, she's never even been to Dallas.

Comer thought it all sounded like a scam, and he would know.  The feisty 88-year old is a retired private investigator, and instead of paying the $5,300, he turned the tables on the scammer.  

The caller told Comer he'd have to send the bail money via "the government-run facility called the Western Union."  But Western Union isn't run by the government. She also told Comer to lie to his bank when he goes there to pick up the money.

"So when you go to the bank, make sure when they ask how come you need this cash, just say you are doing some home repairs. Okay? We're going to stick to that story," she told him

Comer went along with all of it, telling her,  "Good enough. None of their business."

But then he decided to tell her he knew this was all a scam.

"I called an attorney friend and he said I should back off. He thinks this might be a scam," said Comer.  Surprisingly, this only made the so-called lawyer more brazen.

"You can't go around thinking about money at a time like this. This is about your daughter," she said.  "You're being very selfish," she told Comer.  "Your daughter is crying, she is in jail and how dare you do this to her."

Comer responded: "I'm pretty sure this is a scam because you didn't answer any of my questions."

Comer has given the tape to authorities but there have been no arrests to date.  Meanwhile, there's a scammer out there who knows she picked on the wrong senior citizen.  Comer's advice: "Don't send money to nobody."