FOUR OAKS – Johnston County authorities are investigating after an 87 year-old resident recently lost a large sum of money in a telephone scam.
The victim received a phone call in late-June from an individual claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service. The caller claimed the elderly victim had unpaid federal taxes and needed to send $9,500 in cash to settle the debt. After sending the money, the scammers convinced the victim to send an additional $15,000. Altogether, the victim lost $24,500.
According to the Better Business Bureau, the most common scams today involve callers pretending to be government officials. The scams have become more diverse and more sophisticated.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
People!!!! Please sit down with your elderly relatives and everyone you know. Tell them to never, ever trust any calls, texts or emails from anyone. Phone numbers can be easily spoofed by these criminal scammers and they are very good at what they do. DON’T blame the victim of these criminals, this 87 year old person grew up in a different time, when people could trust each other.
Well said!
And we let these people vote.
Wow, you don’t have a heart. Don’t you think this poor man is suffering enough.
Your comment is exactly why most victims of these criminals are hesitant to tell anybody that they were victimized. STOP blaming the victim. You wouldn’t blame the 87 year old victim for getting mugged on the street, you would blame the criminal. Just have some common decency and empathy when someone has, probably, their life savings stolen from them. We have to work together to make sure everyone we know is knowledgeable about the many scams that are out there now. There are tons of videos on YouTube about all the different scams going on.