OKLAHOMA CITY - Scammers messed with the wrong woman.
Normally, we tell you about regular Oklahomans being targeted by scam artists but, now, we’re hearing from someone in the public eye, Eunice Khoury, the host of the Well Preserved Radio Show on KTOK, the longest running senior focused radio show in our state.
Khoury's getting the word out about a recent scam that happened to her.
Someone stole her identity using her good name and photo to try to scam her clients and listeners.
The scammer sent them friend requests on Facebook.
She knows of at least one person who bit.
“She gave them her cell phone number, so there were about 10 different text messages to her encouraging her to take this great opportunity,” Eunice said. “‘Oh, by the way, it only costs $550, and that's when she called the office to verify if I was doing a grant program for seniors and, of course, the answer was no.”
Eunice is teaming up with fellow senior advocate Robin Gunn of the Oklahoma Senior Journal to fight elder fraud.
Robin reminds us, if you receive a message from a friend about money, pick up the phone and call that friend to confirm everything that was talked about in that message.
“Be alert,” Robin said. “They're out there to lurch on and do what they can. People will lose their life savings.”
- Check your privacy settings often.
- Keep a strong password, and change it regularly.
- Avoid clicking on random links.
- The government will never call, text or email you, especially through social media.
- You'll never have to pay for a "free" government grant.