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 get scam calls all the time. Usually I hang up, but sometimes I put them on speaker phone and listen to a bit of the spiel before telling them off before they hang up.
Zero agencies will call you to inform you of your arrest or whatever their threat du jour is.
It saddens me that there are so many gullible (mostly old) people out there. Were they always this gullible, or is it a function of aging?
Exactly right. Older people were taught different, but that was a different world.
[ Are you seriously proposing that people past a certain age would have to get permission from some relative before having access to their own money? Speaking for myself, screw that noise. I’d trust a Nigerian scammer before most of my own relatives, and my in-laws are little better.
Better to educate people that every phone call from a stranger is a scam, no matter what they threaten or promise. Every single one, no exceptions. ]
Yes, they need better education, especially in retirement communities, with new technology they can be especially vulnerable.
Especially in regards to new tech and to know that if they don’t understand a new tech the best answer is always NO! if someone asks you to do something involving it.
I know that now.
Yup, same for other Federal agencies and most local.
We had the police come and talk to our Kiwanis Club about this and one of our members still fell for one. The scam is exactly like one described to us and she still went along. They just get caught up in the moment.
I only went along with one of them (son missed a court date) just to find out how I was going to get money to them. He mentioned a PayPal terminal at the Sheriff’s office and I burst out laughing. I bet he lost his chubby when that happened.
[ It INFURIATES me that the government is doing nothing to stop this sort of thing. There should be public service ads on TV and on the radio. And seniors should be getting occasional warning mailers - maybe with their social security statements. ]
Well we cannot baby the old people either, they have agency over their lives, but I certainly agree with PSA idea for basic things, basically a list of things that if people on the phone ask you, you hang up on them.
I think public execution of people who steal from old people should be a good start to prevent theft.
Criminals should be so afraid to steal from seasoned citizens that they can old fogies can walk down the street with 100 bills hanging out of their pockets and no one eve CONSIDERS taking one out of their pockets.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” I’m sorry for this poor lady.
I looked up my Amazon account just in case too much rum...ha...no such order. Deleted it without replying. That's a big mistake some make thinking they will get off a scam mailing list. Don't do that - just delete.
The real IRS never makes first contact about an issue by phone or email. They only use snail mail. So, ANY phone call claiming to be IRS is a scam.
Now if, heaven forbid, you are audited and start working with an agent, that agent may communicate with you by phone or email, but they never make first contact that way.
Same, I will not answer the phone if I see a number I don’t recognize. If it’s an important phone call the person will leave a voice mail.
There are times when I’m expecting an important call and will pickup if the phone number looks legit. And at least a third of the time, I end up answering a telemarketer or spam call.
Funny thing is I got a job offer and the company called me as “unknown caller”. Luckily they left a voicemail, but I apologized to the HR person for missing the call and let them know they looked like a robo-caller using unknown.
I’ve gotten dozens of those calls. IRS, Social Security. All a$$hole with Est Indian accents.
I tell in language that would make the USMC blush to not ever call me again.
I get those calls all the time, usually when I'm driving home. All they hear from me is [click]
No but I got one from the “electric company” saying my service would be disconnected (blah blah). I replied that I had moved and the account was closed. Click.
The real police said it was a scam but I had called just to report it.
Maybe a go fund me can help this lady; the guys who scammed her deserve a severe a$$whipping.
Biden is a notorious anti-American hater and will steal all of the money out your wallet now that he has the chance.
I like what one Freeper said they do: Ask them if their mother still feeds them with her left hand. HAHAHA! Apparently makes them go berserk. Haven’t been able to try it yet, but I’m waiting. I try to string them along as long as I can, just to waste their time.
I think some people are scared when they hear "Federal Reserve"...I think many Americans are not sure what Federal Reserve does...
She’s up to 18,000 on her go fund me campaign. She’ll get the 40K they are asking I’m sure.
Yep, and double yep. For sure.
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