Mrs. Janice S. Richard

One of my mom’s dearest friends, Janice Richard, has recently retired, and just lost all of her savings to a very elaborate and scary scam.

Two months ago, the bank called to let her know that her debit and credit cards had been hacked from China, Hong Kong, and California. So, she went to the bank to help them resolve it.

This past Monday, while using her computer, a message came on the screen stating that she had been hacked and needed to immediately call the fraud department at Microsoft. Because her bank cards had recently been stolen, she called the number given. She was told that her bank accounts were hacked from China, Hong Kong, California and Chase Bank, but they could not determine which branch. So, she needed to withdraw her money to ensure no more was taken before they could locate and stop the people doing it. They stayed on the phone with her the whole time, while she withdrew the funds from her checking and savings accounts. Then, they had her purchase Bitcoin and gifts cards with the money. They claimed to be a Christian, had a wife and children, and convinced her they really wanted to protect her finances from hackers and scammers. She was told to turn off her phone, computer, and mobile devices and not talk to anyone about it, or the hackers would be able to track and take her, as well as her friends, money, while they (the ones she had given the money) worked to secure her account. They promised to put the money back into her account the next day, once they secured it. Of course, they did not.

Our sweet friend, Janice Richard, is a breast cancer survivor, lost her husband last year, and recently purchased a car thinking with what she had in savings and her retirement she would be able to afford it. Sadly, today she has lost all her savings of $20,000 with no chance of any of it being recovered. In her words, she is disappointed in herself, devastated, and embarrassed. Please pray for Janice and warn everyone you know about the hackers who are out there scamming people (especially those who are not familiar with technology and scams). Also, if you feel led, please help out her financially if you can. We greatly appreciate it.