RALEIGH, N.C. — A Triangle woman is warning senior citizens of an online scam.  

Bettie Royster, 64 of Raleigh, says scammers didn’t ask for her credit card or personal information and actually posed as someone she knew.  

What You Need To Know

  • Scammers hacked a woman's friend's account and asked for money through Messenger

  • Experts warn against sending gift card numbers or financial information 

  • The BBB and the NC DOJ have resources for scam victims

Royster was intrigued when a trusted friend contacted her through Messenger, an instant messaging app developed by Meta, claiming she was eligible for a program to receive $50,000. 

“She was saying it was free government money that the government has and seniors and disabled people could get the money," Royster said.

Royster didn’t know at the time it was not in fact her friend messaging her, but a scammer who had hacked her friend’s account. 

The scammer then sent a second message under a different name claiming to be an agent and asked her to pay a fee in the form of gift cards in order to have the $50,000 delivered to her home.

Royster confirmed with who she thought was her friend, asking if the agent was legitimate.

“Believe the agent. He is a good guy," Royster said her friend's account responded of the agent. She didn't realize it was the scammer messaging her, not her friend. "See I’m texting her then, trying to call her in Messenger. You know you can FaceTime and I was trying to call her, but she wasn’t picking up.”

After Royster sent the card numbers to the scammers in the amount of $800, which was her bill money for the month of August, the scammers demanded more money. That’s when Royster realized something was wrong. 

“You watch every penny because you get that one check and you have to allocate it everywhere you know to cover yourself. When this happened I was like I can’t believe this and I was ashamed. Seniors don’t need to be ashamed. This can happen to anyone," Royster said. 

Royster wants other senior citizens to know if something feels off, contact your friend or family member outside of Messenger in case their account was hacked. 

"That’s why my mother said, 'if you know something, say something.' Tell somebody something to stop something. If I had known it, I would have been looking out for that," Royster said. 

If you would like to help Royster, click here. 

If you have been a victim of a scam, contact the BBB or the N.C. Department of Justice.