that even if they're
cleaned out and penniless,
they're often incurring credit card debt,
and even taking out reverse mortgages
so they can give more
to the person scamming them.
But right now, on some level,
we're still thinking that this is not
something that's going to happen to us.
We couldn't get scammed, not us,
not our smart friends and family.
Are we so sure about that?
Howard and Charlotte
were 89 and 83 when they came forward.
They'd both had careers
as successful psychotherapists,
and they had six college
degrees between them.
Years before, a receptionist
from their eye doctor’s office
had showed up unexpectedly at their home
and asked if she could borrow 300 dollars.
She came back again and again,
and often, she brought
her small child with her.
And every time she showed up,
she had something new to tell them
about why she needed money urgently:
eviction costs, a lawsuit,
medical bills or surgery.
She rarely left without a check in hand.