An elderly woman has lost her home and savings after being systematically bilked out of as much as $40,000 by scam artists.
According to a police report, an officer was dispatched to the parking lot of Parkridge East Hospital on Tuesday evening to check on the well being of a woman who had been sitting in her vehicle for days. A dispatcher told the officer that the caller said the woman had been at the parking lot in her white Honda for at least three or four days.
When police arrived they spoke with a woman named Betty, who said that her car was broken down and she had nowhere to go. The report states that the officer got the rest of the story after speaking with Betty’s son.
According to the son, Betty had been financially exploited since last December by scammers operating out of Jamaica. The report states that the son told police that Betty has allegedly given the scammers $40,000 over the course of the last year. The scammers promised the woman $400 million, a lake house and two cars after she paid some “property taxes.”
According to the son, Betty was told by the scammers that Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke authorized this financial windfall and that everything was “legitimate.”
The report states that Betty told police that she only provided scammers with between $4,000 and $5,000. The scammers directed her to purchase moneygrams at the Walmart in East Ridge and send them to numerous locations in Florida and Jamaica. The report states that her son told police that his mother has lost her residence and most of her belongings as a result of the scam.
The son told police that he would make arrangements to have his mother’s broken down vehicle towed from the hospital, and that he would find her a place to stay.
The report states that a referral was filed with Adult Protective Services.
_ 3615 Bennett Rd.: Police responded to the address on Monday afternoon in reference to a burglary. Police spoke with a woman who said that between 10:30 a.m. an 3 p.m., someone had broken into her house and took shoes, cash, gaming computers, video games and jewelry. The total value of the items taken was about $4,000. According to a police report, officers found no forced entry into the house. The victim told police that she locked all the doors prior to leaving and when she came home the doors were still locked.
Police found an unsecured window in her son’s room, which could have given thieves access. Investigators were able to lift prints from the window sill of the bedroom window, the report states.
The victim told police that she suspects a juvenile who lives down the street may be responsible for the break-in and theft. She said the juvenile attends school with her children
