Scammed and Left with Regret: Stark Residents Share Heartbreaking Stories

The Impact of Scams on Senior Citizens

For Louise, being cheated out of $25,900 by scammers who threatened to arrest her for missing jury duty means she can't afford to put a new muffler on her car or spend $1,000 on the tires she needs before winter. For Cindy, giving $19,000 to fraudsters who claimed a home computer had been hacked and used to access child pornography meant the loss of lump-sum payment from Social Security that would have paid for new carpet and other home repairs. For George, losing $204,000 deposited in the fraudulent imitation of a real cryptocurrency exchange means discretionary funds are gone.

"Money I've wanted to leave to my grandkids won't be there anymore," said George, 65. "There won't be any more new cars or anything like that. There won't be many trips unless it's an emergency or something like that."

"I'm selling off assets to try to recoup some of the money so that we can still have somewhat of a life until we're gone. It's just, it's pretty much devastating, OK? You work 40 years for something. You're trying to make things better and your stupid decision screws up the rest of your life."

Cindy, George and Louise are fictitious names used to represent real Stark County residents who have been cheated out of their money by criminals who engaged with them over the phone, through the internet and by text message in the last few months. The scam victims agreed to tell their stories to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.

A Growing Concern: Telecommunications Fraud

Maj. Rick Stauffer of the Stark County Sheriff's Office said their cases are part of a troubling spike in telecommunications fraud his agency noticed in May and June. "Within three weeks, we saw losses upwards of half a million dollars," he said. "That’s just our agency. And there’s 20-some police departments in Stark County.”

Many of the victims are past retirement age. “It’s a trusting generation,” Stauffer said.

Prevention Tips for Older Adults

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) urges those 55 and older to watch for various scams. Sheriff Eric Weisburn said many people fall victim to scams because the criminals skillfully manipulate them. “Look, they're going to act like they know you," he said. "They're going to act like they know your family. They're going to say things to you that ... somewhat make sense to you.”

Scammers may even tell their prospective victims that a loved one is in danger. They pressure you to act fast, avoid checking their stories. "They're going to have a sense of urgency," Weisburn said. "The reason they have that urgency is because they want you to act and they want you to act fast without calling family members or friends to verify if maybe you loved one is in danger."

Perpetrators often demand payments through Google Pay, an Apple card or a gift card from a store. Weisburn said such demands are a sign the request is not coming from the Sheriff's Office or any other legitimate government entity.

"The Sheriff's Office will never reach out to you and tell you that you have unpaid fines or you didn't come to jury duty and therefore you need to come into our office and pay a fine," he said. "This is not about victim shaming. It happens so fast that you get overwhelmed with the information that's being thrown at you."

The Cost of Scams

The scammers are part of an illegal industry that cost consumers more than $10 billion in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Stauffer noted that some of the people trapping the unsuspecting in financial fraud schemes are themselves human trafficking victims held captive in "fraud factories" where they are forced to conduct online criminal activities.

Red Flags and Missed Opportunities

Louise realized after the fact that there were red flags she missed. At one of two gas stations where she made the cryptocurrency transactions, a man who was there told her that another man had recently lost $7,000 doing the same thing. But that didn't stop her from sending the strangers money she could not afford to lose.

"But I thought this was legit," she said. "I should have figured it wouldn't be, because if you're paying a fine, wouldn't you pay it right to the Sheriff's Office? I didn't think of this stuff. Even at the bank, the lady asked me, she goes, 'You sure this isn't a scam?' And I should have asked her, you know, 'How would I know?' I should have questioned it more. They just had me so scared that I was going to go to jail."

Scammer Directs Man to Fake Crypto Site

George first connected with the person who defrauded him on the internet. He was looking into trading gold, and was introduced to someone who claimed to have been doing that very thing for five or six years. They communicated by text, phone and Microsoft Teams. He opened an account in what he thought was a cryptocurrency exchange, Bitstamp, but it turned out to be a fraudulent site that mimicked closely the genuine one.

At first, everything went well. "I deposited $5,000 and I made some trades and then I withdrew some money and it was all fine, OK," George said. "Then I put more money into the account and was making trades and then there was a third deposit. I'd made trades and then I tried to withdraw money back out. And then I got a notice saying that I had to pay the taxes on my gains, which was over $300,000."

Advice for Avoiding Scams

Cindy's advice to others is that if they get a pop-up on a computer saying it has been hacked, clear the screen or take it to a legitimate computer service business. "Just don't make any phone calls if something pops up on your screen," she said.

George had this advice: "Make sure you're dealing with a reputable investment firm, OK?"

Tips from the Better Business Bureau

Here are some tips from the BBB on avoiding becoming a victim:

• Watch out for phone fraud.
• Reach out to someone you trust.
• Do your research before making an investment.
• Know the red flags.

Most scammers use common tactics to get your money or personal information. Keep an eye out for too-good-to-be-true claims, including:

• Request for unusual payment types, such as prepaid debit cards or wired funds.
• Pressure to act now and/or aggressive tones.
• Deals that must be secured with a credit card or bank account information.
• Phone calls claiming to be from a government agency such as the IRS, Social Security Administration or even Veterans Affairs, looking for money or personal information.
• Calls from “relatives” claiming to be in an emergency and needing cash right away.

To learn more about how to avoid common scams, visit BBB.org/AvoidScams. Read more about fake Medicare calls and medical equipment fraud at bbb.org. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a scam that targets older adults, report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. For more BBB news, scam alerts, and tips, visit BBB.org/news.