How Hanscom FCU Branch Managers Foiled an $80,000 Elderly Fraud
Local police chief praises credit union employees for their presence of mind and compassion.
Two branch managers foiled an $80,000 fraud that targeted an elderly married couple who are members of the $1.8 billion Hanscom Federal Credit Union in Littleton, Mass., according to police.
Earlier this month, the couple in their mid-70s was contacted by an unknown person who claimed that they needed to transfer $80,000 to a Citizen’s Bank account because of “evidence of elicit images and money laundering that was found on their computer,” according to Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost. Billerica is about 20 miles northwest of Boston.
The couple, who live in Nashua, N.H., called the Burlington, Mass., branch of Hanscom and spoke with Branch Manager Kim Giammasi to request a transfer of their money into the Citizen’s Bank account. But she grew concerned that the couple was being scammed and told them they needed to make the transfer in person at a branch.
After the couple arrived at Hanscom’s Billerica branch, they met Branch Manager Melody Anoli-Marcotte, who had been already contacted and briefed by Giammasi about the suspected fraud.
Anoli noticed the couple seemed to be nervous and she was not comfortable with the information they provided her about the transfer request, so she called the police.
Police officers spoke with the elderly couple and informed them that whoever called them demanding money was likely part of a common fraud scheme to steal their funds.
According to the FBI, more than 88,000 Americans over the age of 60 were victimized by a fraud scheme that amounted to $3.1 billion in losses in 2022. The average dollar loss per victim was $35,000. What’s more, 5,456 elderly persons each lost more than $100,000 to scammers, the FBI reported.
“Thanks to the great awareness of both Giammasi and Anoli, and the response of the Billerica Police Department, these two members of our community did not fall victim to an attempted $80,000 scam,” Frost said. “I’d like to recognize both branch managers for their presence of mind and compassion.”