Fr. Robert Banzin had been saving money for years and finally had enough to replace a 20-year-old car, but after receiving an email from “PayPal,” he is out thousands of dollars.
The retired Chicago-area priest says he felt “totally abused” by the situation, but thankfully his community is standing by him and helping to raise the money he lost in an all too common scam.
Banzin, 85, said the ordeal began in mid-August when he received an email from PayPal or so he thought.
The email stated there was a $699 charge on his eBay account. He contacted a PayPal support number to question the “ridiculous” charge.
“They said, ‘We’re investigators, I’ll put you with an investigator from PayPal,’” Banzin told the Chicago Tribune. “They sort of dragged me in, sucked me in. [They said] they’re going to help me stop the hackers from getting at my money in the bank and online, and they’re going to do this with their specialists. They became my friends.”
In the weeks that followed the scam artists won Banzin’s trust.
First he sent a wire transfer before giving them all of his bank account information. Before he knew it large amounts of money began disappearing from his account. In the end $61,000 had been withdrawn.
“I’m very angry at myself, but the police and lawyer were telling me, ‘No, you are a victim, you are a victim, and warn other people not to become victims.’”
Although Banzin reported the fraud to the proper authorities, it’s unlikely he will get his money back nor will the people who scammed him pay for the crime.
All hope is not lost.
Deacon Randy Belice who works at Banzin’s church started a GoFundMe to help Banzin recover his funds. Within three weeks the community raised more than $60,000.
According to the FBI’s 2022 Elder Fraud Report, there were 88,262 victims over the age of 60 of internet-related fraud and $3.1 billion in losses.
It’s important to be on the lookout for possible scams.
Mallory Moreno, the president of the Illinois Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, advises people to look out for words or phrases that involve negative ramifications.
“If you don’t click this link by this date, you will lose XYZ” is a prime example.
It is horrible how scammers prey on elderly people. Unfortunately, it seems like the best way to protect ourselves is to pay close attention to what we click on.
Please share this story to spread the word and encourage others to be on the lookout for scams.
READ MORE:
- Quick-thinking cab driver saves 92-year-old woman from $25,000 scam
- Clever grandma tricks scammer who tried to swindle her out of $8,000
