BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Woman stole over $400K from hospitalized cancer patient, report says

(Courtesy of the Miami-Dade Jail)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida woman was arrested Friday in Miami-Dade County after it was reported she allegedly stole more than $437,000 from a hospitalized elderly cancer patient.

WPLG reported that Ana Nunez posed as the 70-year-old patient’s daughter in order to visit her in a hospital. During that visit, Nunez allegedly manipulated the patient into signing documents giving her power of attorney.

According to WPLG, the patient signed over everything she owned to Nunez, including her house and bank accounts.

Nunez’s son, Pablo Figueroa, was arrested earlier in May for his involvement in the scheme.

Nunez was arrested on charges of organized fraud, exploitation of the elderly and theft from the elderly of more than $50,000.

Nunez has prior convictions including grand theft and forging documents.

Elderly people are a common target of scammers and fraudsters. Senior citizens were scammed out of nearly $1 billion in 2020, according to FBI data.

“Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or internet scheme, such as romance scams, tech support fraud, and lottery or sweepstake scams,” the FBI said in its report. Criminals gain their targets’ trust or use tactics of intimidation and threats to take advantage of their victims. Once successful, scammers are likely to keep a scheme going because of the prospect of significant financial gain.”

Not only are they targeted more frequently, the elderly are also more likely to be scammed out of larger sums of money compared to younger age groups, according to Consumer Affairs.

ABC News reports elderly people in California, Texas and Florida fall victim the most often.

Southeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Partly Cloudy

la

61°F Partly Cloudy Feels like 60°
Wind
6 mph SSW
Humidity
51%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
48°F Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph N
Precip
2%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Crescent