GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Two people will spend time in prison for scamming elderly victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of an international fraud conspiracy, according to federal attorneys.
Jmyla Elaine Sha’Taria White, 29, of Florida, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison and three years of supervised release. She has to pay $3,224,549 in restitution to the victims of the scam. McKhaela Katelynn McNamara, 28, of Flint, will spend four years and three months in prison with three years of supervised release. She will have to pay $693,073 to victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a series of scams where an elderly victim would get a message on their computer saying it had a virus. It prompted the victim to call a number for help. When the number was called, a person claiming to work for a tech company, who was really a scammer in India, would scare them into giving money in several different ways, attorneys said.
Victims were told a variety of false stories, such as their bank accounts had been compromised so they had to withdraw all the cash and give it to fake federal agents for “safekeeping.” Some victims were told they had to pay for technical support for the computer virus or that they needed to give money to clear their names from a criminal investigation. Each time, the victims were convinced to give money to the scammers, according to attorneys.
They would hand over the money either by wire transfers, mailing boxes of cash, purchasing gift cards or even in-person meetings with fake federal agents. White and McNamara were two of those people who met up with victims to collect money, which they then passed on to others involved in the conspiracy. White also helped recruit others to join in the scam, attorneys say.
One West Michigan victim lost $398,000 to scammers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
White and McNamara were charged last year with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and pleaded guilty in January, the release said.
“This is one of the most reprehensible fraud schemes I have seen. This wasn’t just a theft of money. It was a theft of dignity, and a theft of security. This was a heinous crime that devastated people who worked hard their whole lives, and now their money is gone,” said U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering during sentencing.
Five other members of the ruse were charged last year with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to federal attorneys.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations encourages senior citizens to never send any personally identifiable information or money to unverified people or businesses, resist the pressure to act quickly and update all computer anti-virus software.
For more tips and information, visit the FBI Elder Fraud website. If you or someone you know has experienced financial fraud, call the Elder Fraud Hotline at 1.833.FRAUD.11 (1.833.372.8311) or the Federal Trade Commission at 877.FTC.HELP. (877.382.4357)
