Wisconsin Retiree Loses More Than $400,000 in Gold Courier Scam, Even After Her Bank Questioned Her Cash Withdrawals
A Wisconsin retiree has lost more than $400,000 of her retirement savings to scammers who convinced her that handing over gold would protect her money.
The woman, identified only as Mary, clicked a pop-up bearing her financial advisor’s logo that locked her computer, reports WFSB.
Callers posing as her investment company, the sheriff’s office, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission told her that her account had been hacked.
She was also told she was a suspect in weapons dealing and money laundering.
Mary spent $131,208 on 24 gold coins.
A courier collected the coins from her in a fast food parking lot after an imposter posing as the Better Business Bureau arranged the pickup.
Employees at her bank and at the business that sold her the gold questioned the large cash withdrawals, but she kept making excuses.
She was also instructed to buy Bitcoin and thousands of dollars in gift cards as the fraud continued for three months.
It ended when she called her supposed Better Business Bureau contact and found the number had been disconnected.
Says Lisa Schiller of the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau,
“The extent was unprecedented. I mean, this is probably the largest amount of money loss that we’ve had reported in one single scam.”
Local police say the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
Says Robin Jacobs of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions,
“Hang up your phone or shut down your computer, because once you engage with them, you go down the rabbit hole with them and it’s very hard to disengage at that point, psychologically.”
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The post Wisconsin Retiree Loses More Than $400,000 in Gold Courier Scam, Even After Her Bank Questioned Her Cash Withdrawals appeared first on The Daily Hodl.
