An elderly man is at risk of losing his home after scammers impersonating Bank of America managed to empty his account.
Military veteran and 82-year-old Richard Runyan says fraudsters masquerading as BofA representatives gave him a call and warned him that his account was flashing suspicious activity, reports the ABC-affiliated KIII-TV.
Runyan says the call came as he was grieving the loss of his wife, Donna, and the threat of someone taking money from his account left him confused.
“They called me. The guy says, ‘We have information that they’re gonna take $20,000 out of your checking account, and you need to go down there before noon and pull it out yourself so they can’t get it.’”
Thinking that his account was at risk, Runyan says he abruptly withdrew the money and gave the scammers two boxes of cash worth tens of thousands of dollars.
“Including the credit card, it was about $41,000. It’s my fault for not paying more attention, but I wasn’t coherent on this.”
Runyan says the scam was a huge financial hit as he is now facing the risk of losing his home.
He has created a GoFundMe page and is asking the community for help to cover daily expenses and keep his home.
Bank of America has released a statement on the matter.
“We recognize the emotional toll and hardship faced by anyone who becomes a victim of a scam. Bank of America provides employees with training and education to help prevent elder abuse and help consumers protect themselves through our Better Money Habits and Bank of America Security Center.
To be clear, the root of the problem is criminals who prey on hardworking Americans, and we will continue to work closely with government and law enforcement to hold them accountable.”
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