Name: Check on seniors to prevent scams
Uploaded: 2020-07-21T18:54:28-0400
Duration: 153844
Description: More than $10,000 lost to a scammer. A local family wants to keep it from happening to others. As 5 On Your Side's Monica Laliberte reports, they believe the battle starts with checking on seniors.

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More than $10,000 lost to a scammer. A local family wants to keep it from happening to others. As 5 On Your Side's Monica Laliberte reports, they believe the battle starts with checking on seniors.

BRIEFING OF THE PRESIDENT ON WRAL  2, WRAL.COM AND WRAL NEWS APP. >>> MORE THAN $10,000 IS LOST TO A SCAMMER AND A LOCAL FAMILY WAS TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING TO OTHER PEOPLE. 5 ON YOUR SIDE MONICA LILIBERTE SAYS THE BATTLE BEGINS WITH CHECKING ON THE SENIORS  THAT WOULD LOVE. >> Reporter: THE DAUGHTER OF THE VICTIM LEAVES LIMITED VISITS DUE TO COVID-19 KEPT HER FROM CATCHING THE SCAM CENTER. SHE DOES NOT WANT TO TALK ON CAMERA BUT TO SHARE HOW IT HAPPENED TO KEEP OTHERS FROM GETTING TO BUY SOMETHING SIMILAR. >> Reporter: IT STARTED IN MARCH, THE CALLER TOLD THIS 78- YEAR-OLD THEN ANSWERED THAT SHE WON A CAR, TV AND MONEY. IT WAS THE TYPICAL SCAM THAT THE DAUGHTER OF THE VICTIM WROTE IN ALL SHE HAD TO DO WAS TO PURCHASE THE PREPAID DEBIT CARDS AT $500 EACH AND A CALL BACK AND GIVE THEM THE NUMBERS. THE SCAMMER KEPT CALLING FOR ABOUT 8 WEEKS. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE CARDS THAT THE VICTIM PURCHASE DURING THAT TIME, HER DAUGHTER WRITING THAT SHE KEPT THE RECEIPTS AND CARDS EVEN THOUGH HE TOLD HER TO THROW THEM AWAY. THE SYSTEM CREDIT CARD STATEMENT REVEALS PURCHASE AFTER PURCHASE, MULTIPLE MADE THE SAME DAY DURING THE QUARANTINE OF MAY AND JUNE. THIS ADDS UP TO $10,500. THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS GONE >> THAT TYPE OF SCAM IS FLOURISHING. >> Reporter: RANDY BAUER WITH THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING HAS A MESSAGE FOR SENIORS >> DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BE RUDE AND TO HANG UP. >> Reporter: RESEARCH WHAT EVER STORY THAT THE CALLER, EMAIL OR TEXT CLAIMS IS HAPPENING. SHE RECOMMENDS THAT FAMILY MEMBERS TALK WITH SENIORS ABOUT THE MANY DIFFERENT SCAMS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT SHE SAYS TO KEEP IN TOUCH. >> CALL THEM AND TALK WITH THEM ONLINE. PEOPLE ARE OFTEN VICTIMS OF SCAMS WHEN THEY ARE LONELY AND HAVE NO ONE ELSE TO TALK TO. >> Reporter: FOR OUR VIEWER THE SCAM UNRAVELED AFTER HER HUSBAND INTO THE PHONE BUT NOT UNTIL ALMOST $11,000 WAS GONE. THE DAUGHTER OF THE WOMAN SAID THAT THE SCAMMER IS STILL CALLING. IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT ONE STORE CLERK TRIED TO WARN HER THAT IT WAS A SCAM AND ANOTHER ASKED REFUSED TO SELL HER A GIFT CARD. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE ALL NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD. ANYTIME THERE IS A DEMAND FOR PAYMENT USING A GIFT CARD OR

Monica Laliberte

Pete James

Jenn Sorber Smith

Valerie Aguirre

Check on seniors to prevent scams

5 On Your Side,Only on WRAL,coronavirus,fraud,pandemic,senior scam

Get the latest WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast whenever you need it, including the DUALDoppler5000 and the 7-Day Forecast.

Everyone. Meteorologist Peter, she would in the severe weather center, I am tracking a cold front that is out west and ahead of it, we are going to continue to get rounds of rain to move in for this weekend while our computer models are having a hard time pinpointing where exactly we're going to see those showers set up and when waves are going to move in, I am watching this batch of rain that is to the south near Georgia and Florida that is going to move in, especially as we head into the afternoon. So plan for those showers later on today to really take over. It's going to be fairly light in nature and we are going to watch for some pockets of dry time even as we head into the evening overnight, we're going to see another round of rain move through and gradual clearing will be possible as we head throughout the morning on Sunday. Those lingering showers will gradually move out will turn mostly clear overnight. We do have cooler air that will dive in from the north. Look at that dip in the jet stream moving into our region. Cold air will settle in, especially as we head into the middle and end of the week. Look at the temperatures that we're going to be waking up to. As we head into Thursday morning, we're going to go from 61 on Sunday morning down to 32 degrees by Thursday morning. If you do have plans to head outdoors today, just remember it could be a little tricky out there with some of those on and off periods of rain holiday, decorating could be a little rough. We will make it to 69 degrees. I went ahead and bumped up our temperature considering that we are already very warm. This morning, temperatures will be slow to warm in the upper sixties. And if you're heading to Woolies winter wonderland, do you plan for some of those showers out there to be fairly light in nature picking up as we head into tonight? So the earlier you get out there, the better with the rain chances increasing overnight, our temperatures are going to be warmer tomorrow. It's also going to be breezy at times heading to 71 degrees cooler as we had throughout this week and Thursday morning waking up to 32 degrees with a high of 51. It's going to feel a lot different out there as we headed throughout the week as well.

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

Nightly N.C. Education Lottery drawings during the 11 p.m. News.

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday Powerball drawings, as shown live on WRAL.

I'm Michelle Isles tonight. We've got another life changing jackpot for you in an estimated amount of $397.5 million. Get your tickets out. We'll start things off tonight with the number 35 right after that America. We have 41. Let's congratulate Laura Medlin of Concord, North Carolina who won $2 million. Your next number up tonight is 60. That's followed by 28 and we'll round it out tonight with 47. Now, for your winning powerball number, good luck, everyone. It is three and your power play multiplier is two. Now, let's take another look at those winning numbers. Remember there are multiple ways to win. We'll see you back here Monday night. Good night, everyone. It's time to play America's favorite jackpot game. This is powerball. Good evening.

Powerball Drawing

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings are held at 3 p.m. daily. They can be seen as live or on-demand video.

Good afternoon. I'm Roy G. Welcome to today's drawings for Saturday, December 2nd 2023. Let's get started with Carolina pick 36. Is your first number? Second number three. Third number is three again and our pick three. Fireball number is three. Joining me for this afternoon. Strong. Is there a from the Con and Jones L LP? Now move to Carolina pick for your first pick for number eight. Second number is six third number 54. Number three. And our pick for fireball number is to the North Carolina Education lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education. Thanks for your support and your winning numbers each day at 3 p.m. and again at 11:22 p.m. here on your exclusive station for the lottery. Thanks for playing.

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 Drawing

Tuesday and Friday Mega Millions Drawing.

>> ACROSS AMERICA WITH MEGA JACKPOTS, IT'S MEGA MILLIONS. WELL, IT'S OF AMERICA. I'M JOHN CROW IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER. FIRST IN TONIGHT'S MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT IS AN ESTIMATED A NEW TIES. 355 MILLION DOLLARS TO WIN THAT JACKPOT. YOU MUST MATCH THESE 5 WHITE. PLUS THAT GOLD MEGA BALL. NOW THEY SAY THEY CAN MAKE YOU A MILLIONAIRE TONIGHT. OUR FIRST WINNING NUMBER TONIGHT IS 47 FOLLOWED BY 52. UP NEXT, WE HAVE 12. YOUR NEXT NUMBER IS 49 YOUR FINAL WHITE BALL NUMBER FOR THIS FRIDAY EVENING IS. 65 NOW FOR THE MAKEUP ON AND THAT IS 12 AGAIN TONIGHT.

Mega Millions Drawing

The family of 15-year-old Delvin Ferrell, who was stabbed to death at Southeast Raleigh High School on Monday, is speaking live at a press conference. 

<p>This is a tragedy that, that, that, you know, I think that the message to Devin friends is grieving. I think it is important for the community and the school to, to wrap their arms around the, the, the, the, the, the young people and to his friends and let them know that, you know, to keep, you know, to keep Devin name, you know, alive, you know, and they, and they, and they, and they keep them positive memories for them and to make sure that no one is, you know what I'm saying, that, you know, and not to, you know, get caught up in the media bureaucracy that's going everything that's going on, the circus that's going on surrounding it, you know, to let it play out in the justice system, there's support services, I mean, the support service, you have to have community, culturally competent, support people, meaning that when you have community, culturally competent support to support people, I mean, if you have, you know, someone from, uh, carry that, that, that has it, that went to uh University of North Carolina and she's never been down in this community. She cannot, she cannot support our Children and I'll stand firm on that. This, you have to understand that, you know, that some of our Children, they go to school, they may not have eaten their breakfast or they, you know, lunch may be their only meal. So how can you really support our kids? You know, and say that you truly understand what they're going through because as a community, this family alone in the last two years, we lost a niece, you know, in 2021 to gun violence and now we lost Devon, but there's been no support. It's like, ok, you put them in the schools, you know what I'm saying? But what about, you know, in the families, you know what I'm saying? You send them back home for what, you know what I'm saying? To, to, to heal themselves, healing needs to take place all around across the board other than the defendant. Who else or what else do you feel like? Needs to be held accountable for demon's death? I think that I think us as a community as a whole, I think that the school system, I think the law enforcement, I think that collectively we all need to come together and try to figure out a way how can we avoid more, in more incidents like this, as I stated, you know, there have been, there been over a period of last three months, there've been four or five kids underneath the age of 18 that's been, you know, lost the balance in the city, you know, and that should be a public outcry. How, uh you mentioned the community really coming together during this time, what's been helping you and your family just to stand here and this, I think, I think my sister who, uh her faith, her faith in God, you know, her faith, she's, she's the backbone. You know what I'm saying? You're talking about a woman who has, you know, triple cancer, who has lost a daughter, you know, during COVID who lost a granddaughter, uh, due to gun violence and just lost another grandson. So you, when you look at her strength and stuff like that, how can you not be strong? How can you not stand strong if you know, how can you not stand on faith if you could if you believe in God or not? But you know, she, she's living, you know, you know, proof, you know what I'm saying that, you know, there's some faith in something and she, and she sends her prayers out to the, to the, to the uh alleged, uh alleged, the alleged family members as well. She, you know, she, she sends her prayers out to the family. So we got two more questions and that's it. Do any of you all wanna maybe share like a favorite memory of Devin or how you hope he'll be remembered and his smile, smile. Always you get his smile. Because he always had a smile on his face no matter what. So his smile was definitely gonna miss him. You know, like about to like what she was saying, his smell and like everything about him really show me that's all I gotta say. Younger brother, older brother. Are you all mad at the school system for why this knife got in or how they handled anything? What do you think about it? I mean, it's a tragedy, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I think that they have to take a look at some things and figure they have to figure it out. You know, they have to make sure that this, you know, this type of incident doesn't happen again. One of the concerns um shared among the parents as well is just the, you know, are the students getting enough resources. I understand there may be some high risk students at that school or students who uh the area, I mean, is there but there's enough resources. I don't personally I haven't really looked deep into the resources, but from my understanding, from the mere fact that, you know, I think that there's so certain programs like the social emotional learning programs that they can implement in the school system, their mentors, their, their, you know, their credible messages that they could bring in the school system, they could put pair mentors in the school, they could put high risk intervention. It's a couple of things that they could implement in the school system in the city to try to avoid, to try to put people in, you know, in inside the system, the school system to try to make sure to, to, to deescalating situations like this before it becoming a crisis. All right. Thank you. All. So I make sure I know how to spell that. Can you hold that picture for me one time? Excuse, excuse me, let me, let me see. I mhm. You too. Yeah. OK. Yeah I yeah body right that it's just a tr I heard you guys.</p>

'Keep Delvin's name alive:' Family speaks out after 15-year-old killed in stabbing at Southeast Raleigh High School

Witnesses sent video to WRAL of smoke billowing out of the building. Sky 5 is live at the scene.

Yeah. Ok. Yeah. Yeah. Ok. Yeah. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Sky 5 flies over heavy smoke near south Raleigh recycling center

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday plans to name a replacement for State Auditor Beth Wood, who previously said she would step down in the wake of charges related to her use of state-issued vehicles.

A qualified successor uh professional to succeeded her in this critical role. The state auditor is our watchdog. The person entrusted to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being minded and efficiently invested. The auditor serves as the lead evaluator of state government, local governments, the judiciary, among others, evaluating financial controls and performance measures and ensuring that the government is accountable to all of us. The auditor's job is not just about calling out mistakes. It's also about ensuring that public servants can do their jobs, right and well, our state relies on the professionals in the auditor's office to objectively look at state processes, help ensure that best practices are followed and work collaboratively to find solutions that benefit the people of North Carolina. This is a role that's not suited for people who simply want to be in the spotlight or who aren't ready to roll up their sleeves and dive into complicated issues. It takes a smart, hard working person who isn't afraid to get into the details and who isn't afraid to ask the hard questions. I appreciate the service of Auditor Wood and her professional staff. They have built a reputation over the years of independence, finding problems and holding leaders accountable. This has served our state well, in searching for our next auditor, I was gratified by the willingness of some people to disrupt their lives on short notice to step into this important role. I wanted someone known for integrity, intelligence work ethic and willingness to speak truth to power. Someone committed to public service who understands government and believes it should be held accountable. Someone who understands that our ultimate goal is to make sure that government serves people as efficiently and effectively as possible. And I wanted someone to stand before the voters and be accountable for their critical work. I'm confident that I found that person today. I'm announcing that I will appoint Jessica Holmes as North Carolina's next state auditor. Jessica will bring years of government and legal experience to the state auditor's office as well as a deep commitment to public service. Jessica is a native of Pender County fellow North Carolina, Eastern North Carolinian like me, a double tar heel, like me with an undergraduate and law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill like me. She's a talented attorney on the North Carolina Industrial Commission. She's working to ensure all parties and workers compensation claims are treated fairly in accordance with the law. She has worked for our teachers and educators as the general counsel to the North Carolina Association of Educators and she has been elected and re elected by the people of this county. In 2014, she was the youngest person ever elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners and she was even elected by her fellow commissioners as the chair of the board twice under her leadership and attention to budget and financial details. Wade County managed a budget in excess of $1.5 billion she created and chaired Wake County's first affordable housing and infant mortality task forces and advocated for increasing affordable child care options and for paid parental leave which the state has now adopted. Jessica understands how government can be a force for good but that the details matter and it's important that we do things the right way. I'm confident that thanks to her intelligence, integrity and experience, she will make major contributions to the success of our state. Congratulations Jessica on becoming our next state auditor. And I wanna thank you for the service that you've already given the state and the service that you are about to give. And now I introduce to you our next state auditor, Jess go first. Allow me to say that I want to acknowledge that Beth Wood was the first woman ever elected to serve as auditor in the State of North Carolina. The professional staff that she has put together is excellent, phenomenal and ready to continue to do the work. As for me, I grew up in a small town in rural eastern North Carolina called Maple Hill and Yes. It's as small as it sounds. I grew up loving to climb trees. A bit of a tomboy. I actually have a few scars to still show for it. I remember picking strawberries from my grandmother's garden. I remember my great grandmother told me to go fetch eggs for breakfast from the chicken coop. I remember in the hot North Carolina Sun, we would pick blueberries. My grandmother and I we'd earn about $5 a slat and at the end of each day, she would give me all we had earned so that I could purchase school clothes. And I used we loosely because I probably ate more blueberries than I actually put into the sweat. I also watched my mother who is here with me today heroically fight to support and provide ends meet for five young Children coming from humble beginnings. I know the value of a dollar and how to make it stretch. I also know that you can't turn 15 cents into a dollar. But what I can tell you that as state auditor, I will ensure that every taxpayer dollar get to the people and the causes that we all care about. My administration will focus on accountability, eliminating wasteful spending and ensuring that all money allocated goes where supposed to go. My experiences have led me to this moment and have prepared me for this task. As mentioned, I am a tar heel through and through born and raised right here in North Carolina on good old fashioned North Carolina values and not to shout it out twice. But I am also a double tar Heel. You shot that twice. But as auditor, I will be fair, I will be unbiased and I will put the people first. People need to be able to trust that their government is working hard for them. They also need to be able to trust that their taxpayers, their tax dollars are working hard for them as well. Some people know me as Commissioner Holmes. Some people know me as chair homes. Some people call me deputy Commissioner Holmes. Some people call me Professor Holmes. My family calls me a nickname, but I'm not gonna get to that part, but today I am so proud and honored to stand before you as North Carolina's next state auditor and I just want to thank Governor Cooper for his confidence in me. Ok. Uh, both of us will be glad to answer questions. Let's start here with Gary. Yeah. Um, MS Holmes, are you gonna be seeking the full four year term in 2024? And while you have a lot of you have AJ D behind your name, one thing you don't have is a CPA and many of your predecessors have had certified public accounting experience. Do you see that as any sort of liability or do you feel like that helps you see things differently? Um, I, I think it gives me a different perspective. Coming into the office, I have worked at government in various different levels and direct experience regarding budgets has allowed me to understand the auditing process ensuring that dollars go where they are supposed to go. And I've done that in various levels from government to nonprofit organizations and consulting. I'm sorry. And follow up on the first question. I will absolutely be seeking the four year term for state auditor and I look forward to filing on Monday. Sorry. Um, I just wanna governor, your reaction to the, uh, decision this morning regarding the election law. And also, um, we talked to speaker more about that and they basically this case to go to the State Supreme Court where it seems, they feel like they're looking at the outcome they want. Um, we say all that, well, the law is crystal clear and I'm grateful that these judges followed the law and I hope that the Supreme Court will follow the law as well. A question. All right, one more. LA what do you say to people who say that, that, uh, that the auditor's office should have caught what was going on with auditor law and our mileage? I mean, is that a failure on the part of the office or is that? I mean, I don't even know who audits the auditor. So, what, what are you, what are you talking about? The, what happened to her? Oh, yes. So that happened almost immediately. And an auditor's job is usually to come behind months and years afterwards to uh examine records. But, um, I have confidence in the professionals in the auditor's office and I think, uh I'll let the new state auditor speak, speak for herself. Um I will just note for the record but that I will not be uh accepting or uh receiving a state vehicle. All right. T for maybe one more from anyone. Have you, uh, have you met with Auditor Office of State Auditor staff yet, or is that all you? Um, absolutely. Um, I've had a conversation with the State Auditor Wood and she, um, she and I go away, um, we've had a relationship for a long time and I respect her and the service that she has given to this state over multiple years, decades of service. And I'm really glad that she is willing to, um, hand over the reins and support me in that transition. All right. Last one here. I'm sorry, I just to make clear, II, I believe you'll be the first African American woman on the Council of State. Is that, is that accurate? And if so, uh, what do you think about that? I mean, that's got being, having a first like that. Yes, it is. My understanding that I will be the first African American woman to ever serve on the North Carolina Council of State in our state's entire history that said, um, I'm here today. Not because I'm black or not because I'm a woman, but because I'm the person to do the job and my credentials back that up, that said, I learned this when I was a county commissioner, I had this quote. It's hard to be what you can't see. And when I look at some political offices, it's hard to imagine myself in those offices. So regardless of what this year, what comes of it, I can guarantee you a few things, no one will work harder than I will to get up to speed. And I will by virtue of this office continue in my public service, encouraging girls and women and people that are interested in serving to have the opportunity to do so. And by me serving in this seat, hopefully, um it will allow others to see themselves in it as well. Thank you. Great. Thanks guys. Thank you. Ok. Mhm. Oh, ok, great. Not that a request. That's good. No, so yeah, that's all right. Hm. Ok. There's another sorry.

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