Aid Richard's Recovery from Financial Loss

Dear Family, Friends, and Community,

Even if you’re unable to contribute, this is a story worth hearing. We all have elderly loved ones, and with the rise of technology scams and new targeting methods, this story could help protect someone you care about.

We are reaching out to you with a heavy heart to ask for help on behalf of our dear friend, Richard Skaug. At his advanced age and declined health condition, he should be able to focus on living comfortably, but instead, he is facing an unimaginable financial crisis.

Recently, Richard was the victim of a cruel scam that took away his entire financial security. Here is his story…

This all began roughly a year ago when Richard received a pop-up from what he believed to be Microsoft, informing him that he was exposed to 4 critical hacks. It provided a number to call. He called and spoke to Luna, who said he was under critical financial attack and that they were working with the FBI on this. She inquired about all the various accounts he had and then said she was putting him in touch with a Wells Fargo secure account manager, Brian Cooper. Brian showed him that his house was on the black web and was currently being sold. He was convinced this was happening and they were going to help him fix it.

Brian told him that in order to protect his assets, he would need to clear out all of his accounts before they could take it all. He reassured him that his money would be put into an FBI-secured account. They would protect his assets and hold everything in the meantime while they were working to catch these people. He instructed him to take out a refi on his home. So, Richard took out a loan for $115k. Brian instructed him to tell no one. Once he got his loan, he was to send it to him in two separate checks. Then Brian told him to clear all his accounts (credit cards, money market, etc.). He went to Lowe’s and purchased gift cards in $1000 increments for the entire amount of each account and sent the money to him by scratching off the code on the back and sending pictures of each card.

He really believed he was at risk and followed every instruction because they were talking so often that he really began to trust him. At one point, Richard had a bad fall and Brian even said he would pray for him. So, the idea was that once everything was secure, they would return all the funds. We have 173 screenshots of their conversations that went on for months. Brian and his co-conspirators took everything from him over time, and then when he was getting desperate to get his money back, Brian became cold and would respond sparingly, just stalling essentially. Brian kept promising him, ‘I am working on your case still. FCC hasn’t gotten a hold of the hackers yet and hasn't determined all the devices that have been hacked yet, so everything is still pending. This is why it is taking so long. Give me 10 more days.’ It kept being 10 more days and then he just stopped answering him.

As you can imagine, Richard was devastated. He had started getting sinking feelings that it wasn’t real but held out trust, and then finally when he went to the bank to discuss how to solve it and was told there was nothing that could be done because he took his own money out, he finally told us what happened. He said that the shame kept him from telling us sooner.

Now, with no savings, no credit cards left, and a large re-fi against his home, all he has is Social Security to survive. As we all know, Social Security alone is barely enough to cover basic living expenses, let alone medical bills, groceries, or other essentials that he relies on daily. Richard also has a version of MS (Mog antibody demyelination disease) and broke his hip last year. Due to pain, he is not getting around and is struggling to rebuild his strength. In addition, he is struggling emotionally with how this fraud was committed against him.

Richard has spent his entire life giving to others. He is a Vietnam vet who served our country in the United States Navy. He has always offered kindness and support to those in need. He has such a pure, loving, and trusting nature towards humankind. Now, he needs our help. No one should face such hardship, especially in their golden years.

We have been working every angle and trying everything, including doing a reverse mortgage on his home to get rid of the refi, but he was told it was too soon. You know when you reach this age, your living should be secure. He moved into his home over 20 years ago with his wife, and they built a life together before she passed. He never thought he’d have to consider selling it, and then with the cost of living, where will he go? With the value of his home minus his refi and debt plus medical bills, he won’t have enough to live out the rest of his days. We are really trying to keep him in his home where he is comfortable and has all his memories.

We are asking for all the help we can get, but GoFundMe requires us to select an amount, so we landed on $30,000. All his credit cards are maxed out, and they are calling him around the clock to collect. Richard went from an 830 credit score his whole life down to 420. He did everything right only to end up here. The funds will go towards covering his living expenses, medical bills, and daily needs, allowing him to regain some peace of mind and stability. Right now, we are buying his food for him as he doesn’t even have enough for that. Please help us restore some of the financial security that was stolen from him.

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a difference and is deeply appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this campaign with your network and on every platform. Together, we can bring some hope back into Richard’s life.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Sincerely,

His team…Tee and Tee