A couple who lives north of Hillsboro lost more than $800,000 in an apparent scam. The couple’s daughter reported the scam after her mother told her about the couple’s financial problems, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office report.
The daughter contacted the Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 8. She told investigators someone had contacted her father about a year ago and told him he had won $17 million, the report said.
However, the woman’s father was told he had to pay taxes on the prize before receiving the money. The woman’s parents mailed cash and gift cards to various addresses, according to the report.
The Sheriff’s Office did not report the age of the victims.
As of Monday, Feb. 10, none of the money had been recovered, and no suspects had been identified, spokesman Grant Bissell said. He asks anyone who believes they are victims of a similar scam or have been contacted about a similar scam to call the Sheriff’s Office at 636-797-5515.
“The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents never to send cash or gift cards through the mail to a stranger,” Bissell said.