Scam victim: 'This guy here told me you're a crook'

LONGVIEW, Wash. -- Family members, police and even a KATU News reporter jumped in Thursday to try to help a Longview man.

The man wasn't sick. He wasn't injured. He wasn't asking for money. In fact, the man, who asked to not be identified, was in the midst of being scammed out by a man on the phone.

It's a perfect example of how scammers prey on vulnerable people by using relentless promises of fortune. The man, who suffers from the affects of a stroke, was in the process Thursday of sending more money, when people stepped in.

With KATU News Investigator Dan Tilkin standing by, the man was on the phone with the scammer.

"This guy here told me you're a crook," the man told the scammer referring to Tilkin.

The man gave the scammer the account number to a pre-paid credit card and was still convinced he was getting a new car and $750,000, despite two Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office deputies who tried to convince him otherwise. The man has already sent the scammers $4,500.

Tilkin asked the man why the scammers are so convincing.

"They keep calling," he said. "They call me up and the guy says, 'I swear on my daughter's grave.' This is not a scam."

The victim's daughter said she's pleaded with her father to stop sending money.

"Since this guy called on Valentine's Day, our lives have been a living hell," she said.

Tilkin decided to call the same number the Longview man had been on the phone with, and not surprisingly, Tilkin was told he'd also won $750,000.

"Did I win a car too?" Tilkin asked the scammer.

"Yes, my friend," the scammer said.

"I won a car too? Wow," Tilkin said.

"A 2012 Mercedes Benz," the scammer said.

"A 2012 Mercedes Benz -- I won," Tilkin said.

Even though Tilkin's phone number was blocked, the scammer was able to see Tilkin was calling from Longview, thanks to his internet-based phone number. The scammer said he, too, was in Longview, which is a trick scammers use to earn the trust of victims.

Despite all of the people attempting to show the Longview man he was being scammed, it still didn't deter the Longview man, who said he'll wait until tomorrow to deliver the car he'd allegedly won.

"I'm not going to give them any more money," he said.

Deputies from the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office has put fraud alerts on the man's account and closed his credit card.