NEW YORK — A man conned into shipping his life savings across the country was saved by the quick actions of one New York City Police detective.
The victim told CBS News New York investigative reporter Mahsa Saeidi he can’t believe he fell for it.
California man mails $20,000 to NYC apartment after falling for scam
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” said victim J. Nguyen, from California.
First, a message popped up on his computer, saying his account was allegedly compromised, and to fix it, he had to make a call.
Nguyen said the scammer told him, “You have to withdraw your money and send it to the Central Bank.”
“I was sort of like in a trance. I was listening to her the whole time,” Nguyen said.
Hours later, they had convinced Nguyen to withdraw $20,000 cash and send it across the country to an address in New York City.
“I couldn’t believe it, I did it,” Nguyen said.
After he mailed the package, Nguyen suspected he had fallen for a scam and contacted the NYPD.