'Died with $ 69 on the account': a pensioner committed suicide after stealing savings

Senate Aging Committee heard testimony from witnesses and government officials who, on behalf of the victims, not only spoke about the activities of telephone scams. One example was the suicide of a 82-year-old pensioner.

Фото: Depositphotos

Senator Susan Collins noted that last year, calls from robots generated 26 billion unwanted calls to US mobile phones. If you add calls to landline numbers, then this number will grow to 48 billion.

One of the victims was Marjorie Jones, an 82-year-old woman who committed suicide after giving up all her savings to phone scammers.

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"They told her she had won a big cash prize and all she had to do was pay taxes and fees," Jones' granddaughter Angela Stanczyk explained to lawmakers. She added that she realized that her grandmother had become a victim of scammers the last time she spoke to her.

She urgently needed $ 6000 and she was desperate. The family could not remember that they ever had to lend her money.

“I could hear the panic in her voice,” the granddaughter added.

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Stanchik's father sent her $ 8000 the week before. He suggested that someone was deceiving her, but she was asking very much, and he translated $ 6000 more.

Jones killed herself a week later.

Her grandmother had folders with receipts in the closet that confirmed sending money to unknown accounts, a second mortgage to her house, as well as transferring all her savings and cashing insurance.

“My grandmother died with $69 in her bank account,” confirms the granddaughter.

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Sheriff Jerry Saunders, who also testified at the hearing, explained that sometimes fraudsters disguise an incoming call under the name of a person’s contact list or appear to be someone from the authorities.

Fraudsters often demand that fines be paid for failing to perform jury duties, or they simply issue a warrant that a person must pay.

"The caller identifies himself as an employee of the sheriff's office...In one recent incident, the caller used the name of an actual deputy sheriff," Sheriff Sanders said.

Often, people are asked to transfer money to accounts or even buy gift cards and send them by mail to avoid arrest.

“Unfortunately, given human resources, there is little local law enforcement can do to investigate these crimes,” he added.

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