Dixon woman accused of scamming senior citizen out of more than $70,000

DIXON – A Dixon woman who investigators said scammed an elderly woman out of more than $70,000 by lying to her about her granddaughter faces three to seven years in prison, plus restitution, on each of two theft charges.

Elixsa E. Diaz, 37, was charged Friday in Lee County Court with theft from a senior citizen and theft of between $10,000 and $100,000. She is free pending her initial court appearance Nov. 8.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Brim and the charging documents, Diaz was a member of a group of thieves who scammed people.

For her part, Diaz on Aug. 20 contacted a 75-year-old woman in Nebraska, claiming to be the granddaughter’s lawyer, and telling the woman her granddaughter was criminally charged in Lee County and needed money for her legal fees, investigators said.

Diaz also later contacted the woman pretending to be the granddaughter, who was not under arrest or in any way involved, Brim said.

The three or four other people in the gang, who are not local residents, appear to have fled the country, Brim said.

Diaz has no felony history in Lee or Whiteside counties.

The charges filed against Diaz are a reminder that fraud against the elderly is on the rise.

The FBI reports that in 2022, total losses reported to its Internet Crime Complaint Center by people older than 60 increased 84% from 2021, and the 2021 numbers were 75% more than in 2020.

Scammers, in fact, took $3.1 billion from 88,262 seniors in 2022, and the average loss per victim was $35,101.

Those are only the scams that were reported. Many such thefts go unreported because the victims are too embarrassed about being duped.

“Grandparent scammers” have been around for decades. They prey on their victims by pretending to be a grandchild or other loved one in distress, and use the fake emergency to incite fear in and wrest money from trusting seniors.

It’s become common for the thieves to launder the money by buying cryptocurrency, which then can be spent anywhere in the world.

To avoid becoming victims, the FBI urges seniors to:

• Shred credit card receipts and old bank statements.

• Disconnect from the internet and shut down their devices if they see a pop-up message or locked screen. Pop-ups are regularly used to spread malicious software.

• Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings and door-to-door offers.

• Don’t give out personal information on the phone, by mail or over the internet unless initiating the contact.

• Make sure all their computer antivirus and security software and malware protections are up to date.

• Talk over investments with a trusted friend, family member or financial adviser before investing.

• Refuse to pay in advance for services.

•Refuse to pay for services with prepaid gift cards or cryptocurrency. Legitimate services will not request payment through these methods.

• Resist the urge to act quickly or secretly, which scammers frequently will try to get you to do.

• Check with others about the status of their loved ones before they act.