Retiree Scammed Out Of Thousands
WILLOW SPRING – A retired Johnston County woman lost thousands of dollars after falling victim to an online scam.
The victim said she received a Facebook message from an unknown person claiming she was eligible to receive $100,000.
To claim the funds, the woman was told she needed to pay $4,000 to cover miscellaneous fees. She was instructed to pay the money with prepaid gift cards.
The victim provided the scammer with $4,000 in gift card but never received $100,000. She also lost contact with the scammer. Authorities say if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
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Just thinking bigger picture… I find it absolutely strange that given our Nation’s ability to offensively cyber attack our enemies, we cannot cyber attack these criminal enterprises; particularly the ones operating outside of the United States. From space we can see the hair on a gnats behind, but we can’t stop this? Our intelligence community absolutely knows where they are, how they operate, yet do nothing. And before you blame it on the donkey or elephant in charge, it has been this way for a very, very long time…past the terms of the previous three Presidents. Makes me wonder if maybe “they” (the question is who are they) get a “kick back” for being allowed to operate these criminal enterprises within the country or on the country’s inter-networking. Sadly, this good-hearted JoCo retiree got taken advantage of and worst of all, it happens every day to someone just like her and nothing changes. In the meantime, I recommend reaching out to your older loved ones and try to educate them on this ever-evolving world.
Well said Jus’ Sayin’ but I also have to agree with Tell The Truth. If a person knows how to work a computer and get the gift cards, then, well……………
@Jus: Why do snowflakes always expect the government to do everything? Where’s YOUR personal responsibility? Using Gift Cards as a payment method???? We don’t need cybersecurity, we need good ol’ fashioned COMMON SENSE!
@Tell the truth. First and foremost, creating nicknames for people you do not agree with adds nothing to the argument. It only adds shallow ridicule that is intellectually moot. Second, I do agree that personal responsibility and common sense is paramount, but that does not erase the fact that there are international bad actors who are targeting Americans. Why should a known international bad actor be permitted to operate on American networks? That makes no sense. There are other technological methods not mentioned in this article that are quite complex…perhaps even able to fool me and self-proclaimed geniuses like yourself. You can yell in the wind as loud as you want, but the fact is there are bad people in the world, doing bad things, and it certainly should is concerning…Jus’ Sayin’
@Jus: “International bad actor”????? Are you for real? The DOJ report from 2022 showed that more than 2/3 of these scams originate in the continental US. Typical Snowflake attitude: you want to blame everyone but yourself.
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Here we go again…. anyone who thinks that gift cards are a legitimate method of payment should not be allowed to vote, drive a car, or own a gun.
Funny you say that because I feel the same way about folks that belittle others when they are in a vulnerable state and post replies to build up their poor self esteem. The true irony is that the folks I am referring are sheep that fail to realize they are being lied to every single day by their beloved blue tie politicians.
@ Schaudenfreude Agreed…I’d add that federal politicians don’t hold true power as people think…they are puppets. Whether its a donkey or an elephant in charge, they won’t solve the majority of people’s problems either. This is why George Washington urged future leaders to avoid political parties…they have no place in a “United” States as parties are divisive. Instead of political fighting, we should focus on the ideas we are being “sold”. There are more powerful people, old money that goes way back, that are in charge. However, Americans have control with their spending and viewership revenue. I suggest quit buying unnecessary things, use our eyes to see the world around us versus what ALL news stations feed us, invest our money, and live frugal…I have have found citizens won’t need the government as much and they’ll live happier. When you quit buying, those who are selling, will go out of business. Citizens have more control than they think and that’s power “for now”. Have a good day.
agreed
Or live on their own!!! In today’s times no matter the age this is ridiculous!
A fool and his money…
It’s a shame “the skills these people have developed” cannot be used for the good of the world instead of crime!
I know this is off subject, but mankind always shows us the “good” technology can do, but they hide the evil they plan to “really” use it for. I guess that is the trade off. The question we have is…is it worth it?