The Jamaican telephone scammer thought he had an ideal victim due to the man’s advance age.
But the con artist didn’t know that the elderly
gentleman on the phone was a retired federal judge and the former director of
both the CIA and the FBI.
The scamster is now in prison.
The FBI released a Public Service Announcement
(PSA) with Judge Webster warning potential victims of elder fraud.
“If it can happen to me, it can happen
to you,” warns former FBI and CIA Director William Webster in a video message
that urges older people and their loved ones to be wary of elder fraud schemes.
The 98-year-old retired judge and his
wife Lynda were prospective marks in a Jamaican lottery scam in 2014 when an
unsolicited caller informed Webster he won a sweepstakes. To collect his
winnings—a car and millions of dollars—Webster was told he needed to pay
$50,000. When the couple declined repeatedly, the caller became abusive and
threatening. The Websters called the FBI and later worked with special agents
in the Washington Field Office to nab the scammer, who is now serving time in
prison.
The Websters are among millions of older
Americans targeted each year in elder fraud schemes like bogus lottery and
romance scams. Fraudsters string along victims with promises of love or riches
in exchange for cash advances or assistance moving illegal funds. Losses from
these types of scams reach into the hundreds of millions each year and are
increasing as the U.S. population ages.
You can read the rest of the piece and
watch the PSA via the below link:
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