Couple Reportedly Scammed Out of Over $40,000

(USNewsBreak.com) – As technology increases, so does the potential for bad actors to take advantage of well-meaning people. Authorities urge people to remain cautious with their sensitive information, yet scammers still get away with billions annually. Con artists online allegedly swindled one elderly couple in Oregon out of their savings after they fell victim to fraud.

It started with an error on Facebook. The couple, in their 70s, chose to remain anonymous. They detailed how the husband got locked out of his account on the social media platform. They had wanted to sell a few items on the Facebook marketplace, but the husband couldn’t remember his password. So, he called the customer service number to regain access.

Couple swindled out of a whopping $44K in Facebook password scam: ‘I’m not going to trust a lot anymore’ https://t.co/k6AFm2MvJy pic.twitter.com/f85oqyhZPY

— New York Post (@nypost) July 23, 2024

The husband used Google to find the customer service number and called. But, it turned out to be a fake number set up by scammers. According to the couple, the con artist on the other end of the line convinced the older man to click a link that gave the criminal access to his computer. He then navigated to the couple’s bank account, where he convinced them they were the victims of fraud.

From there, the scammer allegedly tricked the couple into sending $44,000. The wife said she wire-transferred the money, which the con artist told them would supposedly “clean everything up.”

The situation has led to a lot of stress for the couple. The woman detailed that her blood pressure “generally run[s] 110/72” but had increased significantly because of stress. It’s doubtful they’ll get the money back because wire transfers are notoriously hard to track.

Experts and authorities caution people to stay diligent in protecting their information and educate themselves on the various types of scams to avoid becoming victims. Those who experience scams can contact their banks or financial institutions and should file a report with law enforcement.