Woman loses $35k in elaborate scam
By Carolina Estrada
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SACRAMENTO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — Donna Ouchida, an 82-year-old from Sacramento County, lost $35,000 in a scam that began with a message asking her to verify a suspicious charge.
“I got this message that said, is this 200 and something dollars charge yours? If not, call this number,” Ouchida said.
Just a week earlier, one of her credit cards had been compromised, so she called the number.
On the other end, a man claiming to be from the U.S. Treasury warned her that her identity had been stolen.
“That credit cards had been opened in my name all over the world and I got scared,” Ouchida said.
Then he sent a warrant, supposedly for her arrest.
“They said we need you to show you’re not laundering money,” she said.
To prove her innocence, she was told to send $50,000 in cash.
After arranging with her bank, she withdrew $15,000.
The man kept texting, giving her detailed instructions on how to ship the money, including hiding it in a box with toys so it looked like a gift.
“Then we had to withdraw more money for the second payout,” she said.
This time, $20,000 were picked up in person, and surveillance cameras captured an image of a car believed to be involved.
“I wasn’t allowed to talk to the person, except ask their name and password,” Ouchida said.
Finally, the scammer asked for a third payment.
“That’s when things started to seem suspicious,” she said.
She told her family, who helped intercept the package that contained nearly $18,000.
“He was so concerned they’d come back—that they’d come to my house,” Ouchida said.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi said cases like this are common.
“They’ll use everything—from promises of riches to straight-out fear tactics,” Gandhi said.
Financial scams targeting seniors are on the rise, and the numbers are staggering.
The FBI says in 2024 alone, Californians lost more than $832 million to fraud.
Back in August, KCRA 3 covered a similar case—a woman who lost her life savings of $30,000. It’s what motivated Ouchida to share her story—to warn others.
“It’s really terrible. I know I should’ve known better,” Ouchida said. “If you see a phone number you don’t recognize, don’t answer it.”
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