Red Cross scam targets elderly in particular

Taking a call from a corporal in Ontario, Calif. Was just about the last thing Fayette County Deputy Joe Gonzales expected to do on a Sunday morning, especially one who’d say he thought an elderly citizen in hos county may have been scammed, Sheriff Keith Korenek reported.

But when all was said and done, Deputy Gonzales was able to help an elderly woman recover some $35,000, after she responded to a fictious email account requesting that amount be sent to supposedly help a cancer patient secure the treatments she needed, if only they’d send their hard-earned cash to the address listed in the email.

Deputy Gonzales was informed that since the address had been flagged by California officials that the victim in Fayette County was able to get her money back after the proper procedures were completed in California. 

Sheriff Korenek took advantage of that woman’s stroke of luck to warn others across the area to please inform their elderly relatives, so they are aware of this scam and don’t fall victim to such predators.

“In most cases, the money is never recovered,” he said.