Help a Veteran and Retired Firefighter
Donation protected
My name is Alvin and I own a small computer shop in Bayonne. This is a senior's story who walked in my door with his tragic story.
On June 24th, John Malecky a retired firefighter and vietnam veteran received an email from Amazon saying he placed an order for a large screen TV and an a protection plan totaling about $4,000. This delivery was going to be sent to an unknown address and this alarmed John that he called the number on the email.
He contacted "Amazon Fraud Department" and this is where his nightmare began. According to the tech support person his bank account and IP address were in use by nefarious agents (Chinese and Russian) and he was shown pictures online of these criminals along with his location (in Bayonne). The fake Amazon support agent on the phone instructed John to purchase gift cards (Best Buy / Target and Ebay) so that he can transfer his bank accounts to a protected Amazon bank that will protect his money until 'they' close the case and assure him his money is safe to return to his banks.
Scared, John complied and sent the fraudsters the card numbers to the gift cards.
His total loss is an astounding $104,700! Which basically emptied his retirement and savings.
After the fraudsters kept asking him for more money saying his account was still unsafe he called up his investment company UBS and asked if they can help.
This allowed him to realize that he was in a web of deceit and that his money had been stolen.
John filed a police report with Bayonne PD (picture attached) and his meeting with a lawyer proved fruitless. He is unable to be helped by Lifelock and the authorities.
He is now trying to tell his story as a stern warning to those seniors who are more gullible with today's evolving online scams. And he is also trying to recoup what he lost by looking for work to pay his and his wife's bills and daily living expenses.
On June 24th, John Malecky a retired firefighter and vietnam veteran received an email from Amazon saying he placed an order for a large screen TV and an a protection plan totaling about $4,000. This delivery was going to be sent to an unknown address and this alarmed John that he called the number on the email.
He contacted "Amazon Fraud Department" and this is where his nightmare began. According to the tech support person his bank account and IP address were in use by nefarious agents (Chinese and Russian) and he was shown pictures online of these criminals along with his location (in Bayonne). The fake Amazon support agent on the phone instructed John to purchase gift cards (Best Buy / Target and Ebay) so that he can transfer his bank accounts to a protected Amazon bank that will protect his money until 'they' close the case and assure him his money is safe to return to his banks.
Scared, John complied and sent the fraudsters the card numbers to the gift cards.
His total loss is an astounding $104,700! Which basically emptied his retirement and savings.
After the fraudsters kept asking him for more money saying his account was still unsafe he called up his investment company UBS and asked if they can help.
This allowed him to realize that he was in a web of deceit and that his money had been stolen.
John filed a police report with Bayonne PD (picture attached) and his meeting with a lawyer proved fruitless. He is unable to be helped by Lifelock and the authorities.
He is now trying to tell his story as a stern warning to those seniors who are more gullible with today's evolving online scams. And he is also trying to recoup what he lost by looking for work to pay his and his wife's bills and daily living expenses.
Organizer
Nivla Sotom
Organizer
Bayonne, NJ
