Scammers Steal Nearly $7,000 From Detroit Lakes Woman

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A Detroit Lakes woman is out nearly $7,000 after getting scammed.

85-year-old Shirley Purington received a call Monday morning from someone who she thought was her grandson.

“He said hi grandma,” she said.

The person she believed was her grandson then explained the trouble he was in.

“He says I’m down in Florida. He said I was in a car accident, but I’m not hurt, she expressed.

The call became more complicated after Shirley later spoke with someone claiming to be a lawyer.

“They proceeded to say, well, he had a bond for $6,700.

Unfortunately, on the other line, it wasn’t her grandson nor a real lawyer. They were actually scammers.

“He said I was supposed to go to the bank and get the cash. they didn’t want a check,” she explained,

Shirley got the cash and shipped it to an address in Florida. The home turned out to be abandoned after doing some digging for information.

Her son was in disbelief when he found out this was happening to his mom.

“Shocked. I couldn’t believe, one, she fell for it and, two, they are doing scams like this,” said Bill Purington.

Even in a state of shock, Bill attempted to take action immediately including calling the police in Florida and reporting it to the FBI.

“It’s frustrating and heartbreaking now because she is out all of that money. It doesn’t sound like we’ll be able to get any of it back,” he expressed.

Shirley is not alone in this situation... Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar says there’s been an uptick in scams impacting seniors during the pandemic.

“This is the last thing that should be happening. I like to plan for the future and as I look to the future I see more sophisticated scams. Our laws and our enforcers have to as sophisticated as those trying to break them,” she said.

Until enforcement grows stronger, Shirley and others like her are only left with hope.