Retired Social Worker Lost $300,000 to a Gold Coin Scam, And She Just Discovered She’s Triggered An IRMAA Surprise Quick Read – Scammers stole $300,000 from Barbara Putnam, the IRS billed her $53,000 in taxes, and Medicare now deducts IRMAA surcharges on the stolen income. -…
aud losses targeting older adults grew 300% from 2020 to 2024, reaching $2.4 billion, with gold courier scams now their own FBI crime category. – No government agency will ever request payment in gold, cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Anyone claiming otherwise is a criminal. – Barbara Putnam, 73, spent 40 years as a social worker and mental health program manager for the state of Washington, based in Olympia
She did what every retirement guide tells you to do: worked steadily, saved consistently, built a nest egg. Then, one afternoon, she clicked what she thought was a Facebook Messenger shortcut. Her computer went black.
A pop-up appeared claiming she had been hacked and needed to call Microsoft Tech Support. Within days, her retirement was gone. This was a coordinated psychological campaign engineered by professionals.