73-year-old widow scammed out of life’s savings

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in investigating a substantial fraud complaint and elder abuse in Fenton Township after an elderly resident inadvertently drained her bank account.

 On Monday, July 3, at approximately 10:59 a.m., a deputy assigned to Fenton Township responded to a residence to investigate a scam report.

 Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the 73-year-old female complainant who said she received a phone call around the second week of June from a male who identified himself as a representative from the Social Security office named Ted Planzos from Washington, D.C.

The victim said Planzos informed her that her identity has been compromised and that she needed to take out all of her money from her bank accounts and put it toward a Bitcoin account until the Social Security office gives her a new Social Security number.

 The man provided the woman with his badge number and case number to ensure she was speaking with a legitimate individual. She said she looked up Planzos and saw his name on the website and believed he was real.

 The woman said she went to her bank and withdrew four different times with the following amounts on different days: $20,000; $25,000; $25,000; $3,000, totaling $73,000.

 The woman said she then made 12 deposits into a Bitcoin account at a gas station on LeRoy Street in Fenton.

 The woman said the man had plans of having her withdraw money out of two accounts from her Social Security benefits, her late husband’s pension, and life insurance.

 She said he had her open an account through another bank and deposited $20 to open it. She said she contacted her estate planning advisor about the situation and they advised her to go to the police, along with a phone number for an attorney.

 The woman said she has gone to her local bank and they are now aware of the situation as well as any more suspicious activity.

 The deputy advised the woman to quell all communications with the man, and to contact the official Social Security Office, and any other bank institutes that have been affected. The GCSO Elder Abuse Task Force also is investigating.

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73-year-old widow scammed out of life’s savings