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A woman from Boise, Idaho lost $30,000 (P1.5 million) from her savings to online scammers, in just 48 hours.
Local media KTVB reported that Jean Allmon fell victim to scammers when she received voicemails from an unknown Maryland number, which she then decided to call back.
Allmon narrated that the caller told her she was facing federal criminal charges. When she tried to prove her innocence, the caller said she must have been a victim of identity theft. She was then transferred to another line, and at this point, she thought she was speaking to a United States Marshal.
The “marshal” then told her to withdraw money from her account, as well as purchase Walmart gift cards worth thousands of dollars.
“He kept saying you can’t tell anybody or it’s going to jeopardize your case, So, I don’t know, I didn’t know what to do, but to just follow his directions,” Allmon told KTVB. She added that she felt “stupid for falling victim into this.”
The Better Business Bureau said that Allmon’s case was not new, and they expect an increase in scams as the holiday season draws nearer.
Veronica Craker from the Better Business Bureau advised that people should be wary if someone asks for their personal information, or asks them to make payments or buy gift cards, for these should serve as red flags.
“They put a lot of pressure on you, you have to do this right now or we can’t take your money any other time, that’s a really big one,” Craker warned. Katrina Hallare/JB
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