Crime & Safety
Scammed! Elderly Man Loses Thousands After He's Promised Millions
Caledonia Police say scammers take a ton of money from an 81-year-old man who was devastated to learn he wasn't going to hit the big one.
An 81-year-old man got bilked out of $3,850 in a lottery scam on Wednesday, according a report by the Caledonia Police Department.
The elderly man told police that a man who went by the name of John Cassidy called him representing Money Unclaimed Center on August 28. Cassidy told the man his firm held a prize from Mega Millions Education and Lottery Foundation and the prize totaled $2.5 million, a 2012 Mercedes Benz and $20,000 in cash.
Unfortunately, the elderly man bought into the scam and over a two-week timeframe he wired a total of $3,850 to Cassidy, who said his firms address was 2100 Yonker Road, Raleigh, NC.
Find out what's happening in Caledoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
When the officer explained the situation to the elderly man “he was devastated,” the officer wrote in the report. “(The elderly man) stated he was going to report this to every law enforcement agency he could in an attempt to have the people responsible arrested.”
The officer turned the case over to the detective bureau for investigation.
Find out what's happening in Caledoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
