$50K Stolen From Senior In Phishing Scam: Bradenton Police

BRADENTON, FL — A Bradenton senior was recently scammed out of nearly $50,000 after clicking on a phishing message that popped up on her Facebook account.

The message claimed her account was hacked and directed her to call a number for assistance, Bradenton police wrote in a Facebook post.

“This is one of several known Facebook Messenger scams,” investigators said. “All share the same goal: to steal your money. Be leery of suspicious messages claiming to be from Facebook.”

Police warn social media users to not click links or open attachments and to immediately report the message to Facebook.

Anyone who has been a victim of a scam should contact the Bradenton Police Department’s Elder Fraud Unit at 941-932-9300.