Investigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
CLEVELAND — Any kind of scam that takes people’s money is bad enough, but when criminals target our most vulnerable, that’s a whole new level of terrible.
81-year-old Joyce Meeks sat in her modest apartment on Cleveland’s west side amongst the rooster collection, the refrigerator signs, and the hum of an oxygen machine.Last year, as she was on her computer scrolling through the headlines of stories, she found an interesting one. “A dog had been adopted out for 11 times,” described Meeks.
After taking $200 from her, Meeks finally realized it was all a scam. “That $200 could be my lifeline. Could be my food, my prescriptions,” said Meeks. “I felt I had been had. I thought I knew better.”But the scammers weren’t done with her, leaving phone numerous messages saying they would keep taking thousands more from her. “For the next three years for the amount of $6,800,” said a rep in a recent voicemail to Meeks.“It scared me. I don’t have that kind of money.
He said if you get pop-ups like Meeks or calls or texts, just delete, hang up, don’t click on anything and restart your device because lots of people are getting scammed by these tricks. “We’re going into federal court in order to shut these operations down,” said Steiger. “And we recently had a settlement for $26 million against a tech support scam.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stow Municipal Court judge orders refunds for drivers who appealed Peninsula speed camera citationsInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
'Worst experience' says local flyer; Frontier Airlines' poor rankings shadow Cleveland expansion plansInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
Taxpayer money funding poor living conditions; frustrations mount with voucher programInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
New hire hopes to help mental health calls in University Circle after past violent arrest of womanInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
Ohio triples EdChoice Expansion program, sending $387 million in public money to private schoolsInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
Tax scammers are looking for your refunds; here's how to protect yourselfInvestigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »