CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Phone scams have taken money from people across Central Pennsylvania, but it doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars to have an impact.
Lynne Martin, a Cumberland County resident, said she relies on disability benefits to pay her monthly rent and other bills. She said scammers contacted her two weeks ago, pretending to be an employee of PNC Bank.
“It’s frustrating. It’s very frustrating. when someone could just take your money, you know, frustrated,” said Martin.
Martin said the scammer, who went by the name Jason Spears, told her two people were trying to take her money in Florida. The scammer then convinced her to create a Cash App account to transfer her money.
“Asked me to take all my money because these people were going to get it and put it over the Cash App.”
Martin said she lost $1,200 in the scam.
“Oh my gosh. I was crying and called the bank. It was all my money, I was broke. I mean, I was all my money that I had,” Martin said.
Martin said the scammer called her multiple times, building trust and making the situation seem real.
“It just seemed so real. I just thought it was real. He called back the next day, following up like a bank normally would,” Martin said.
She said she has been struggling to put food on the table since losing the money.
“This month, I can’t pay my rent, my water bill. I just got a notice on the door. They want to shut off my water because I haven’t paid it,” Martin said.
Martin said she filed a police report at a nearby police station, but was told that once the money is gone, it is difficult to trace the scammers.