DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning after an elderly couple lost about $300,000 — and nearly lost $250,000 more — from their life savings in an elaborate scam.
According to officials, the scammers sent a spam-type email to a Dickson woman in her 80s. The email appeared to be from a U.S. Treasury agent and it scared the victim by saying her Social Security number had been compromised by the cartel.
In order to get a new SSN, the scammers told the woman she needed to close out all her accounts and send that money to couriers working with the U.S. Treasury Department. She was told the money would be held in safekeeping and then returned to her when the Social Security fraud was rectified.
Man arrested in connection with $200K+ fraud scheme in Putnam County
Investigators said the woman initially sent the scammers $50,000 in cash, followed by an additional $200,000 via check…