The League City Police Department says a man has targeted at least three different women there within the past week in a phone scam.

Investigators say the man identifies himself as their grandson, and then he says he was involved in an accident while vacationing in Trinidad.

The con artist asks his victims to wire up to $3,000 to keep him from being locked up.

The so-called "grandparent scam" has been reported in 19 states.

One couple in Austin says they lost more than $5,000. They say the impostor used their grandson's name and his cell phone number.

Investigators say scammers are now using social media sites to get hold of personal information, and they suspect that's how information was gathered in these cases.