OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – An elderly Oklahoma City woman said she’s feeling embarrassed that she fell for an online scam promising her $150,000. In the end, she lost hundreds of dollars, but she’s sharing her story to keep others from falling for the same hustle.
83-year-old Linda Foster believed it was her lucky day when she got a Facebook message from a friend at a former church of hers. Her friend said she had just won money from Publishers Clearing House and that she saw Linda’s name on an associated list. The friend recommended Foster contact PCH.
“I thought I would get the Publisher’s Clearing House winnings,” Foster said.
Today, Linda thinks it was actually a hacker posing as her friend, but back on January 25 when she got the money, she was just excited to claim her $150,000 prize.
The alleged PCH representative told the 83-year-old that she’d have to mail them cash as a fee to receive the money. They also told her not to tell anyone.
“So, I said OK and I questioned him on why I couldn’t tell someone, and he said, because it’s for your own protection,” Foster explained.
Foster ended up mailing $1,300 in cash to an address in Las Vegas. She was also instructed to buy $350 worth of gift cards, scratch off the backs, and give the codes to the alleged scammer, along with her driver’s license info and social security number. All of this she followed.
But when the rep told her they needed an additional $1,500 to pay the IRS before she could finally have her winnings, Foster had enough.
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“I said, no, I’m done,” she shared. “I’ve already sent $1,650 and I feel like I’ve been scammed. And I said, I’m going to go report this to the FBI.”
For all her faithfulness, Linda never got her prize money. She’s now sharing this story with the community in hopes that others don’t fall for a similar scam.
“Well, number one, I felt ashamed that I am intelligent and how could I give out all of my information so easily?” Foster expressed. “I felt embarrassed. I felt afraid, fearful because they have everything on me.”
KFOR advised Linda to give the Oklahoma City Police Department a call and she said she’ll do so Wednesday. She said she has already contacted the Federal Trade Commission.