Posted on 05/19/2021 11:23:55 AM PDT by L.A.Justice
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A Point Loma grandmother is sharing her story after she was scammed out of her life savings during a two-day nightmare.
Barbara Read, 71, got the call last Wednesday morning. The cellphone caller ID read "Federal Reserve." A man identifying himself as a federal reserve officer told the disabled retiree her identity had been stolen and used in a crime spree.
“They knew quite a bit about me,” said Read. ”Someone had been laundering money and counterfeiting money to Colombia, and drug trafficking.”
Read was transferred to a supposed sheriff's deputy, who confirmed she was facing charges, under surveillance, and should stay on the phone with them.
“They just scared me so much with … people were watching me. My phone was tapped. They were going to arrest me and throw me in jail,” said Read.
But the man claiming to be with the Federal Reserve said he wanted to help her, and wanted to protect her assets from the identity thief until the investigation wrapped up.
"Scared me so much that I thought, ‘Gosh, I guess they're really trying to protect me,’” said Read.
In the next two days, the retired nurse and widow went back and forth six times between her banks and Bitcoin ATMs, withdrawing $38,300 — every penny of life savings — and depositing it into a Bitcoin account she believed was a Federal Reserve holding account.
She also charged $2,000 in gift cards, reading the codes to the men on the phone. When they abruptly hung up, she knew she'd been scammed.
“I just feel like I'm at rock bottom,” said a tearful Read.
Read, who lives on a fixed income, is now facing an uncertain future.
“I just felt terrible. So defeated. I have no savings. Nothing … I like helping people, like my granddaughter and my church. That’s what hurts the most: not being to help others out,” said Read.
Read is sharing her story to help others avoid the pain she's feeling.
“I just don’t feel like I would get caught in something like that, and I definitely did,” said Read.
Read did file a police report, but her family told ABC 10News the Bitcoin deposits, which used something called blockchain technology, are untraceable.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help read with expenses.
I got a phone call from Michigan on Monday...It was a robocall...The caller did mention Federal Reserve...I disconnected...It sounded like a scam...
Did you get a phone call mentioning Federal Reserve?
Can a law be passed to prevent it? I’m saying no financial institution parts with money without written permission from a concerned relative. It goes against my libertarian leanings but these scammers need to experience the joys of anal sex. Unfortunately, many are as far away as Nigeria.
A poor old lady here lost $20k the same way...............
These bastards should be publicly executed on TV ................
The old Good Fed, Bad Cop routine.
I got one from “Social Security”, one from the “IRS”, but not the “Federal Reserve” yet.
Funny how they mostly have Indian accents (dot, not feather)
I do not answer the phone for anyone I do not know. Even some I know I make leave a voice mail.
Laws don’t prevent crime. They punish after the fact.................
I had the experience of some elderly relatives getting these scam calls, and realized that it could be only a matter of time before they fell for one of them. Even if someone is ‘mostly ok’, there comes a point where even mild cognitive decline can make them vulnerable.
There are now landline phones that allow you to ‘whitelist’ numbers, and send unknown, unidentified, or known scam and spam calls either into the void, or to voicemail. Reducing the volume of calls seems to help them deal with things with a lot less anxiety.
Oh, and scammers are terrible people, and should be strung up by their thumbs.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT
White caucasian male, late 70s, crotchety and cranky, especially near sundown. Uses trite old fashioned sayings like "C'mon, man" and wears old aviator sunglasses. Known to berate the American military. Con man extraordinaire. Use extreme caution and hold tightly to your wallet if you spot him."
The Federal Reserve scams the entire country—these scammers learned their tactics from them...
<< These bastards should be publicly executed on TV ................ >>
Pay per view, with the proceeds going to victims.
I got one of those last week. I just laughed and hung up, realizing that the Federal Reserve would never make calls like that.
I do feel sorry for this woman. What an awful thing to have happen.
Passing laws only affects law abiding. It does not affect law breakers and criminals.
They are especially targeting people in their 80s and 90s, because the chances are higher that increasing levels of dementia and memory loss start to destroy the “BS Detector” defenses.
Not the brightest lady on the block. Probably voted for Biden.
They won’t enjoy their eternal reward in hell with fellow thieves and connivers. Hopefully this elderly lady can be somewhat restored through donations.
I’m the same way, I never answer my land line and If they call my cell and I don’t recognize the number I don’t answer.
I do not answer any phone calls from outside of my contact list stored on phone. If call is important they will leave me a message on voice mail.
When they call, I tell them, "Look, I did what you told me to do . . . there's blood all over the place . . . What do I do with the body? . . .
That is the real tragedy.
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