Richard Runyan, a veteran and longtime member of the community, said he was targeted by scammers posing as his bank while he was still grieving the loss of his wife.<\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 A Corpus Christi man is sharing his story after falling victim to a scam that cost him about $40,000 in savings, leaving him struggling to keep his home.<\/p>\n
Richard Runyan, an 82-year-old veteran and longtime member of the Coastal Bend community through years of involvement in the Rotary Club, said he was targeted by scammers posing as his bank while he was still grieving the loss of his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell everybody, my job was right down my alley,\u201d Runyan said, reflecting on his years as a marketing director for AMF bowling alleys and his lifelong passion for bowling.<\/p>\n
Runyan said the scam began with a text message and phone call from someone claiming to be with Bank of America, warning him that money was about to be taken from his account.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey called me. The guy says \u2018we have information that they\u2019re gonna take $20,000 out of your checking account and you need to go down there before noon and pull it out yourself so they can\u2019t get it,\u2019\u201d Runyan said.<\/p>\n
Believing the threat was real, Runyan withdrew money and handed over two boxes of cash to the scammers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncluding the credit card, it was about $41,000,\u201d Runyan said. \u201cIt\u2019s my fault for not paying more attention, but I wasn\u2019t coherent on this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Runyan said the scam comes at an especially difficult time, as he continues to cope with the loss of his wife, Donna, who battled multiple sclerosis for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at her, look how beautiful she is,\u201d Runyan said, pointing to a photo of the couple.<\/p>\n
After losing much of his savings, Runyan said he is now at risk of losing his home.<\/p>\n
In a statement, a Bank of America spokesperson told 3NEWS, \u201cWe recognize the emotional toll and hardship faced by anyone who becomes a victim of a scam. Bank of America provides employees with training and education to help prevent elder abuse and help consumers protect themselves through our Better Money Habits and Bank of America Security Center.<\/a> To be clear, the root of the problem is criminals who prey on hardworking Americans, and we will continue to work closely with government and law enforcement to hold them accountable.”<\/p>\n Connor Hagan, FBI Public Affairs Officer, said it is critical for victims to report scams, as criminals continue to evolve their tactics.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too easy for the banks and for the FBI or law enforcement to get involved with a financial fraud kill chain. So they\u2019re moving away from doing wire transfers to cryptocurrency, to gift cards, to cash,\u201d Hagan said.<\/p>\n Despite the loss, Runyan said he is focused staying resilient.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not okay, but I can deal with it. I\u2019ve always dealt with problems and then even my years of working and all that. I didn\u2019t run from problems. I don\u2019t sit here and cry about what happened. I\u2019ve got to go forward,\u201d Runyan said.<\/p>\n