82-year-old California falls for fraudsters: lost $ 35,000!

82-year-old California falls for fraudsters: lost $ 35,000!

An 82-year-old woman from California, Donna Ouchida, was the victim of a sophisticated fraud that brought her around $ 35,000. According to a report by Daily Hodl Ouchida received a message in which she was asked to check a suspicious debit. This message led her into a trap from which she could no longer escape.

The fraudster on the phone identified as an employee of the US Ministry of Finance and informed Ouchida that she had become the victim of identity theft. He claimed that credit cards had been opened worldwide, which she put in acute panic. The fraudsters specifically use anxiety tactics that Sergeant Amar Gandhi from Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office describes as a common method in such fraud cases.

The scammers' procedure

Ouchida felt threatened when the fraudster stated that it was an arrest warrant against her. In order to prove that she was not washing money, she was asked to send $ 50,000 in cash. In her despair, she pulled $ 15,000 from her bank. To hide the money, she put it in a box with toys to make it look as a gift.

In addition, she handed over another $ 20,000 to a person who picked up the money from her. Only when a third request for payment arrived did Ouchida become suspicious and decided to contact her family members. These immediately recognized the fraud and informed the authorities.

Investigations and warnings

The incident has now been examined by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Ouchida was not alone, because fraud of this kind are unfortunately widespread. The authority warns that such stitches often manipulate people with fear and uncertainty.

It is important to show vigilance and to find out about such attempts to fraud so as not to fall into the same trap as Donna Ouchida. The investigators appeal to the public to report suspicious calls immediately and to be on the safe side if in doubt.