Elderly man scammed out of life savings | Behind the Investigation

Behind the Investigation with Atlanta News First

Elderly man scammed out of life savings | Behind the Investigation

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Published on Jan 15, 2025, 3:00:00 PM
Total time: 00:16:15

Episode Description

Loris Sinanian is a deacon at St. Francis of Assisi’s in north Georgia’s town of Blairsville. At age 93, he still leads mass, but these days, he needs his faith more than ever.

A few months ago, Sinanian lost his wife, Peggy. Just before that, he lost his life savings to an internet scam.

“Somehow, they got into my computer,” Sinanian said. “When they got into my computer, they also got into my bank account.”

In October 2023, Sinanian said he he received a call from a man who claimed to be “an old friend.” The caller said he owed $100 and wanted to deposit the money into Sinanian’s bank account.

Sinanian went to his bank’s website online but did not realize he gave the scammer remote access to his computer. That’s when the scammer duplicated the website and made it appear as though he accidentally deposited $100,000 into Sinanian’s account, instead of $100.

Read Better Call Harry's full reports here:
https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/01/07/scammers-rob-blairsville-church-deacon-life-savings/
and here:
https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/01/14/elderly-scam-victims-face-limited-protection-banks/

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Atlanta News First has the largest team of investigative reporters in the city. Now, in this series of podcasts, we take you behind the scenes of our most recent investigations.