Two Irish brothers who allegedly duped a pensioner into paying more than $400,000 for home repairs he didn’t need have been charged by US prosecutors.
In this particular case, the siblings approached the victim in January. They claimed they had been working in the neighbourhood and noticed a hole in the man’s roof. The pair offered to fix the hole and remove moss from the roof. The men pressured the victim to write several cheques of $15,000, $20,000, and $26,000.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said: “This type of fraud on our elderly neighbours is heartbreaking. To pose as someone trying to help them, while all the while the goal is to steal as much as they can from the victim’s hard-earned retirement funds. It is a special kind of cruelty to engage in such conduct.”
Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, said: “Sadly, seniors are often an attractive target for fraudsters attempting to steal a lifetime of savings, and scammers are skilled at deceiving people. We encourage consumers to stay vigilant and avoid making quick decisions before doing research or getting to know someone.