Journalist Megyn Kelly has revealed the moment her family was almost scammed out of $17,000 in an elaborate scam that is becoming increasingly common.
As part of ‘Fraud Week’ in The Megyn Kelly Show Kelly remembered the plan that targeted her elderly mother-in-law, Jackie.
On Friday’s episode, both Megyn and her husband Doug said they were almost fooled by the sophisticated scam.
Kelly shared the full story and sent a chilling warning to her audience: “There are words of caution in this story for everyone… We decided to tell you the story, even though we knew you would make fun of us a little, because we want to help others and we “We learned a lot ourselves.”
It started on January 22, 2021, during the COVID-19 epidemic. Megyn and her family were preparing to travel to attend a wedding, and Doug received a disturbing call from her 84-year-old mother, Jackie, in Philadelphia.
Journalist Megyn Kelly has revealed the moment her family was almost scammed out of $17,000 in an elaborate scam that is becoming increasingly common.
As part of ‘Fraud Week’ on The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly recalled the plot that targeted her elderly mother-in-law, Jackie. On Friday’s episode, both Megyn and her husband Doug said they were almost fooled by the sophisticated scam.
Jackie had been contacted by a woman she believed to be Doug’s sister, Diane. The woman claimed she and her partner Brad were jailed after a car accident on Cape Cod.
According to Diane, she urgently needed bail money and Jackie was given a number to contact a court-appointed attorney.
Jackie was convinced by the sobbing voice and dialed the number. She was later told that bail had been set at $17,000.
Then, Doug and Megyn were caught in the chaos. They tried to verify the lawyer’s story, even telling them to use cryptocurrency as bail due to COVID protocols.
But soon, alarm bells started ringing in their heads and they sought the help of a friend on Cape Cod, Steve, to hand over the money.
Steve, however, noticed something strange: the supposed lawyer mispronounced Barnstable, the city where the events supposedly occurred.
Steve became suspicious, which led him to Diane and Brad’s house, where he found them safe at home.
“Diane and Brad are safe, no one has handed over any money and Steve saved the day,” Megyn said.
After realizing they had almost fallen for a scam, Megyn and Doug decided to turn the tables on the scammer, trying to have “a little fun” with him and catch him in a lie.
The scammer never admitted to the scam and Megyn said she never explicitly reported him, but he eventually hung up on her and never contacted her again.
Megyn emphasized the importance of sharing these experiences to prevent others from becoming victims.
Megyn emphasized the importance of sharing these experiences to prevent others from becoming victims (Douglas Brunt, left, and Megan Kelly)
‘What if this happened to your mom or you? Now you will know. If we hadn’t told the story, you might not know. Maybe they would trick you. I don’t know. Could occur. Trust me,’ she said.
He stressed that even the smartest and most confident people can be fooled and urged his audience to remain alert and slightly skeptical.
Megyn also urged her audience to stay informed and share their experiences, as awareness is the best defense.
‘Sadly, there are scammers who work hard every day to steal your money or something valuable and most of them never see the light of day. They just happen in private because people are embarrassed to talk about it. They are humiliated and I understand it. But there is no reason to feel humiliated.
‘If one of these losers lets you down (or almost lets you down, in our case), what does that say about you?’ He says you believe in human nature. You believe in others. You probably have a good heart. You are probably a trusting soul. Those are not bad things. But a slightly jaded and trusting soul? I think that’s where we’re going.’
‘That’s why we share, and that’s why we hope everyone listens and talks about these kinds of things more and more. We can help each other.’