AN elderly woman has lost thousands of dollars after falling for an online scam.
The 96-year-old has claimed that she was “hypnotized” by a voice that popped up on her computer.
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Edith Wilmoth, who lives in Seal Beach, California could hardly make sense of the entire scheme.
“I never, never, never would have done that,” Wilmoth told local CBS affiliate KCAL.
The senior was checking her travel itinerary on her laptop when a bright yellow light popped up on her screen and a woman’s voice ordered her to keep her computer turned on.
“That’s all she said, ‘Do not turn off your computer. Do not turn off your computer,'” explained Wilmoth.
The 96-year-old believed her computer had caught a virus, and quickly called the phone number that was provided on the screen, thinking that would resolve the issue.
The phone line brought her into an hours-long conversation with a man who instructed her to go purchase some gift cards.
She followed the scammer’s directions, heading to Lowe’s to take out a whopping $6,000 gift card.
When asked why she fell for the scam, Wilmoth suggested that she had to have been hypnotized.
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“I couldn’t control myself,” the senior said. “I was hypnotized. I was doing exactly what he told me to do.”
Seal Beach police have reported a disturbing explosion of scams singling out seniors.
One particular scheme involves scammers posing as the victim’s own grandchildren in desperate need of money.
Others claim they are from the IRS or Social Security and are collecting overdue funds.
Wilmoth hopes that her story will help others avoid becoming the victims of such terrible scams.
“Don’t let them do this,” she said. “Of course, like the police said, if I were hypnotized, other people are too. And the same thing would happen to them.”
Police have advised seniors to be extra cautious and never agree to purchase gift cards or share personal information with strangers.
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/8430813/elderly-woman-hypnotized-scammer-laptop-lost-thousands/