A GRANDMOTHER has fallen victim to a scam perpetrated by someone impersonating a well-known MSNBC anchor.
A scammer pretending to be the TV host tricked the elderly woman into handing over tens of thousands of dollars, according to her family.
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Patricia Taylor, 73, from Marysville Washington, worked for Boeing and the University of Washington for decades.
Now, she’s been roped into a scam that has cost her thousands, and her family is powerless to stop it.
“We want to vomit,” the victim’s daughter Meri Taylor told NBC affiliate KING5.
A fan of MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Patricia attempted to reach out to him on Facebook.
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Instead, she messaged a fake account posing as the famous MSNBC host.
SCAM ALERT
Impersonating Melber, the scammer manipulated Patricia into sending hundreds, then thousands of dollars in gift cards.
The scammer claimed he needed money and gift cards to care for his sick dog, Penny, which he also claimed was dying.
Joey estimates his mother has spent at least $20,000 on the scammer.
“My mom is asking, ‘Hey, aren’t you on TV? … Don’t you have money?’” Patricia’s son, Joey Taylor, said.
According to the family, the scammer convinced Patricia that the two were in a romantic relationship, and that they were going to marry each other, even sending her a ring.
“We find the ring,” said Meri.
“It’s a $30 ring.”
The scammer even left an AI-generated voice message using Melber’s voice.
“You’re reading my messages and not responding,” the voice message said.
“I’d never do that to you. Have you found someone else?”
FAMILY INTERVENTION
Patricia boarded a plane to New York City to meet the scammer, but a relative stopped her during a layover in Portland, Oregon.
Meri believes that if her mother had ended up meeting the scammer in New York, she would have been taken hostage.
“I believe they would have asked for some type of ransom for her,” she said.
The family worries that Patricia may continue trying to meet up with the scammer.
“We just want our mom back,” said Joey.
MSNBC confirmed that the real Melber had nothing to do with the scam.
