Fake TV star steals from Martinez 82-year-old woman
MARTINEZ, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A scammer posed as Mark Harmon from the “NCIS” TV show to target a Martinez 82-year-old, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened between April 13 and April 20, according to deputies.
The victim’s daughter learned of the scam when the mother mentioned she’d won a contest online and been in with Harmon.
The daughter told her mom she was being scammed, but the 82-year-old didn’t believe it, so the daughter took her phone.
The daughter learned her mother had bought gift cards, scratched off the activation code and sent them to the impostor.
The daughter also learned he’d urged the victim to wire him money through bitcoin.
The daughter was unsure how much her mother had sent.
Scams like these are a big problem in Georgia, which ranks No. 9 nationally for scams against seniors.
The top scams used to target seniors are home improvement projects, buying fake items online and cryptocurrency scams.
Aaron Sears with the FBI in Georgia says elderly people are a lucrative target because they are likely to pay in cash from larger savings s.
“They know that’s where the money is at,” said Sears.
He said Georgia ranks high on the FBI’s list as one of the most prominent of dollar losses for elder fraud.
Among the precautions he offered: never pay in cash, be wary of online relationships and never give out your information over the phone.
There’s a bill on the governor’s desk that would add financial protections for seniors. If signed, you can ask your bank to monitor large withdrawals and notify you to ensure the transaction is legitimate.
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