The oldest living war veteran and man in America has encountered an identity thief who’s emptied out his entire bank account.
Richard Overton, 112, and his family members discovered on Friday that a pirate accessed the man’s personal savings and filed a police report. The hacker reportedly set up a fake bank account with the veteran’s social security number and began impersonating him according to the Dallas News.
Overton’s third cousin Volma Overton, said the thief has been stealing money from his account for months to purchase saving bonds with Treasury Direct.
“This is going to be a setback for Richard,” Volma expressed. “It was a significant amount of money.”
A large portion of the veteran’s financing stems from his GoFundMe account that’s been supporting his in-home care living since 2016. Thankfully, the veteran’s bank account is not connected with the donation page which has raised almost $432,000, however, much of that money has been spent.
Volma’s worst fear is not being able to afford caregivers which could possibly mean the death of her elderly cousin. She told the news outlet that she and a friend would sort out the financial issues.
The 112-year-old refused to let the devastating incident lower his spirits and still smokes his 12 cigars a day with a side of whiskey and Coca-Cola.
The Gerontology Research Group reported Overton as the oldest living man in America and U.S. veteran. He served in Hawaii and the South Pacific during World War II and was honored by President Barack Obama in 2013.
