An 81-year-old Saline County woman was scammed out of over $17,000, according to the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Roger Soldan said the Bavaria grandmother received a call from a man identifying himself as Sgt. Bradshaw, from the U.S. Embassy, sometime Monday. The 81-year-old woman was told that her grandson had been arrested in the Dominican Republic for possession of marijuana. She was then instructed to put $17,720 cash, in an envelope, place the envelope between two magazines and mail it to a Brooklyn, New York address to free her grandson.

The woman followed the instructions, paying over $100 to overnight the package. Tuesday, the woman called her grandson, who informed her he was safe in Florida. She then reported the incident to authorities.