Qualicum Beach senior Joan Greaves has had an off and on discourse with a very nice man who only wants the very best for her.
Seven years ago, the man tried to help her get what he said was rightfully hers, but she wasn’t interested and he eventually gave up.
He didn’t forget about Greaves though and two weeks ago he was back on her e-mail, once again trying to help.
“Originally he told me that somebody died and left me $17.5 million, but I ignored it, but it kept on happening for quite a while,” Greaves said. “Five years later, he got back in the picture and saying the money was just sitting there, gathering interest and we had to do something about it.”
What Greaves decided to do about it was to ask for a certified copy of the will.
That’s when the e-mails began to change.
“They changed the address subtly, so I couldn’t just hit reply anymore,” she said. “That’s when I got scared and went to the bank.”
Her bank put her in touch with a fraud prevention officer, who reassured her that nobody could access her account unless they had an 11-digit code, which she had not provided.
The experience left Greaves disturbed but no poorer and she wants other seniors to know about her experience, so they don’t get taken in.