73-Year-Old Woman In US Duped Of $20,000 By Scammer Posing As TV Host

A 73-year-old woman in the United States was duped into sending at least $20,000 to a scam artist posing as an MSNBC news anchor. According to the New York Post, Patricia Taylor from Seatle began a month-long dialogue on Facebook earlier this year with someone pretending to be Ari Melber, the Emmy-winning journalist who hosts the nightly show ‘The Beat with Ari Melber’ on MSNBC. The 73-year-old was convinced she was speaking with the news host. However, she was exploited by the scammer who was operating the Facebook account. 

According to the Post, Ms Taylor, a former Boeing employee, was duped of at least $20,000 as of November 1. The fake news anchor initially asked her to send money and gift cards to treat his sick dog, Penny. She was reportedly also seduced by the scammer into thinking they were in love and going to get married. The fraudster sent the 73-year-old an engagement ring as well. 

Last Monday, Ms Taylor even flew from Seatle to New York to meet the man that she thought was the MSNBC host. Her trip included a layover in Portland, where a relative intercepted her by tracking her cell phone. Meri Taylor, the 73-year-old’s daughter, believed that if her mother had landed in New York, the scam artist would have met her, taken her hostage and demanded ransom in exchange for her release. 

According to Meri Taylor, when her mother grew suspicious she was being duped, the fraudster texted her saying, “When did Ari Melber turn into a scammer?” The fraudster even used an AI-generated voice message that resembled the sound of the anchor speaking. “You’re reading my messages and not responding. I’d never (scam) you. Have you found someone else?” the fake Melber said in the voice note. 

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The daughter said that the family staged two interventions with Patricia Taylor in an effort to convince her that the individual she was talking to wasn’t the real Melber. “Our mother is not a dumb person. How did she fall for this? How did she not see what was going on? You try to explain the logic and it doesn’t sink in,” Ms Meri said. 

“She is not in her right mind, missing medication and cancelling doctors appointments. She is not taking care of herself with the food she eats (she is diabetic) and sometimes not changing her clothes for days at a time,” she separately wrote in a Facebook post. 

Ms Meri also added that she is concerned that her mother may still try to meet with the individual pretending to be the news anchor. 

Scam artists usually target the elderly. Citing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report, the Post said elder fraud generates $3 billion in ill-gotten gains annually.