An 81-year-old woman in Maryland, Gladys Baxley, has lost nearly $100,000 of her life savings to a sophisticated social security scam, leaving her unable to afford her home of 30 years.
The devastating scam began with a phone call from someone claiming to represent the “Social Security Administration,” warning her of alleged fraud linked to her social security number.
Despite initial skepticism, Baxley was convinced after the scammers sent a fake “certificate” appearing to come from the “Supreme Court House.”
Thinking the document was legitimate, Baxley began transferring funds—$36,000 to Yongri Trading Inc., $58,000 to Shengya WS Inc., and another $15,000 in cash wrapped in a newspaper—under the guidance of the scammers, who even coached her on what to tell her bank.
It wasn’t until Baxley told her son about the transactions that she realized she had fallen victim to a scam. Upon reviewing the fake certificate, they found over 40 grammatical errors, confirming the fraud.
“I just thought, how could I have been so stupid?” Baxley lamented. “I’m well-educated but also vulnerable.”
Baxley’s son believes her bank should have flagged the unusual transactions, noting that she had never made such large transfers before.
While the bank is currently working to recover some of the lost funds, Baxley now faces the heartbreaking reality of moving out of her longtime home due to financial hardship.
