These grandkids want more than just their birthday card money.

The Idaho Attorney General is warning folks to be on their guard after several state residents, a Rathdrum family included, were robbed of thousands of dollars by strangers claiming to be their relatives.

"It's tragic. We've had too many people losing significant money to these crooks," said Brett DeLange, deputy attorney general.

In the past two weeks, three Idaho citizens contacted the Attorney General's Office and reported losing thousands of dollars to individuals who called claiming to be grandchildren in urgent need of money.

"We received another report today," said Attorney General's Office spokesperson Bob Cooper, adding that the report was made by an anonymous individual.

A Rathdrum family reported losing $3,000 after the grandmother was called by a young man who greeted her as her grandson. The man explained that he was in Trinidad and had been involved in a car accident in a rental car.

He needed money fast to pay the rental company, he pleaded, or he would land in jail.

A very typical setup, DeLange said.

"More times than not, with these phone calls it will be like, 'Grandma, I'm in jail, don't tell mom and dad, but I'm in Mexico and got to get out,'" DeLange said. "They don't really say who it is, but they hope Grandma's got somebody of that age (related to them)."

The frantic grandmother contacted the youth's mother and explained the situation, according to a press release from the Attorney General's Office.

Together, they raised the dollars.

After wiring the money, the mother also received a call from the impostor.

Suspicious of his strange voice and accent, she hung up and dialed her son.

Her real progeny returned her call later, according to the release.

"Mom, tell me you didn't send $3,000 to Trinidad," he said.

The mother, who couldn't be reached on Monday, wasn't alone in her mistake.

Also in the last two weeks, a Sandpoint man wired $6,100 to a youth claiming to be his grandson, who needed funds to bail out of a Canadian jail. A couple from Rupert sent nearly $6,000 when they fielded a call from someone saying their granddaughter had been arrested in Spain.

This kind of scam has been common for a long time, DeLange said.

"I think our citizens every day in this state are receiving phone calls like this," he said.

Most of the calls originate from Canada, he added, but one specific group isn't to blame.

It's just a string of criminals who have discovered that this works really, really well.

"They're preying on the goodwill of people who obviously love their grandchildren and would do anything possible to help," he said. "Often it sounds like you have to do something immediately, to get them out of jail. Getting them to act hastily, they (criminals) can escape quickly and easily. Crooks think it's an easy scam."

Lt. Stuart Miller with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department said this scam occasionally peaks with a rash of incidents.

"It seems to be on and off," he said. "I would probably have to say it's due to grandparents being notoriously helpful for their grandchildren. And as they get a little older, I don't know how many grandchildren have contact with them, so it's an easy target."

Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has suggested a method for folks to fortify themselves against such petty theft, Cooper said.

"The attorney general is recommending people follow the Three Cs: Calm down, contact your grandchild and confirm your suspicions," Cooper said. "The big red flag, and it's very common with these calls, is the caller claiming to be the grandchild will ask them not to call mom and dad."

Good sign that it's time to do just that, he said.

"You should always be suspicious of people who call you on the phone and ask you for money," Cooper said.

Most elderly folks' names, phone numbers and other basic information can be easily procured from marketing lists, DeLange said.

In cases where folks send the money, he added, that cash is all but impossible to get back.

"It's wired, and there's no way to recall it once it's withdrawn," DeLange said. "The money's gone."