A 74-year-old grandmother has lost her entire life savings in a sophisticated scam carried out by fraudsters who were posing as federal agents.
Understandably devastated by the huge loss, the victim’s grandson is now speaking out to prevent others from falling into a similar trap.
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Barbara, a Kentucky retiree, became entangled in a fraudulent scheme in January.
It began after receiving alarming emails from individuals claiming to be from the Social Security Administration and the Inspector General’s Office.
Her grandson, Stephen Warner, shared he is “extremely angry that this is even a thing that she has to deal with.”
The callous messages accused her of fraudulent activity.
Then, the threats became more intense, warning of severe legal consequences, including potential prison time.
To further manipulate her, the scammers provided a non-disclosure agreement and pressured her into signing it.
They are also falsely claimed that speaking about the investigation could result in additional legal trouble. Now believing she was under government scrutiny, Barbara unfortunately followed instructions.
The scammers told Barbara that federal authorities would temporarily seize her assets for safekeeping while they “cleared her name.”
They assured her that once the investigation was complete, she would regain access to her funds.
But of course, this didn’t happen.
As part of this elaborate deception, Barbara was instructed to purchase gold coins, which would be stored in a secure federal facility.
She was then convinced to travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to complete the transaction.
Once there, she withdrew her savings, $179,000 in total.
She then purchased gold coins, which she handed over to the fraudster in the parking lot of a Chase Bank at Zandale Center.
The moment she handed over the coins, the scammer vanished without a trace.
Unusually, the scammer insisted on meeting Barbara in person, which is a bold move that hasn’t yet been seen in similar scams.
Barbara’s grandson is working with the FBI, which confirmed that this type of fraud is under investigation.
The financial loss was devastating, but the emotional toll was even greater.
Feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, Barbara attempted to take her own life. She was later hospitalized at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, where she is recovering.
How are scammers finding my number?
Here Mackenzie Tatananni, science and technology reporter at The U.S. Sun, breaks down ways a scammer may get your information.
Scammers commonly get phone numbers from data breaches, which occur when a hacker accesses a private database – often those maintained by companies like service providers and employers.
This information may be shared and circulated online, including on the dark web, where there are forums dedicated to sharing leaked information.
Another common technique called wardialing employs an automated system that targets specific area codes.
A recorded message will instruct the listener to enter sensitive information, like a card number and PIN.
There is also a far more harrowing possibility: your phone number could be listed online without your knowledge.
Data brokers are hungry to buy and sell your information. These companies gather information from various public sources online, including social media and public records
Their primary goal is to build databases of people and use this information for tailored advertising and marketing.
Much of this information ends up on public record sites, which display information like your phone number, email, home address, and date of birth for anyone to see.
In the United States, these sites are legally required to remove your information if you request it.
Locate your profile and follow the opt-out instructions, but be warned – these sites do not make it easy and intend to frustrate you out of completing the deregistration process.
For simplicity’s sake, you can also use a tool to purge your information from the Internet.
Norton offers one such service. Called the Privacy Monitor Assistant, the tool finds info online and requests removal on your behalf.
It is also possible that your phone number may be linked to a social media account and publicly displayed on your profile – this happens quite frequently with Facebook.
Be sure to review your privacy settings and confirm this information is hidden away from prying eyes.
