A 70-year-old Philadelphia Phillies fan was allegedly swindled out of an estimated $50,000 after she was taken advantage of by someone pretending to be Trea Turner.
The baseball fan seemed to be under the impression she was directly communicating with the Phillies shortstop on social media. She eventually learned she was actually speaking with an impostor, but not before she was swindled.
The victim was previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She began communicating with an impersonator when she came to Turner’s defense on social media. She then received a message from someone she believed was the two-time MLB All-Star asking to talk to her on Google Chat.
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Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park May 21, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
She initially had doubts about whether Turner was on the other end of the chat. But those concerns faded as the conversations continued and the fake Turner started sharing details about his personal life.
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The chats continued for around three weeks.
“He was relentless, but he’s convincing. He’s repeating things that I knew Trea Turner did on the ballfield,” the woman told FOX 29. “He kept harping on it for about three weeks, so finally I said, ‘All right, what do you want?'”
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. (Brad Mills/USA Today Sports)
The faux Turner then claimed he was having marital problems, and he needed to make sure his wife did not have access to some properties. He asked the woman to send him large sums of money to various accounts.
Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates hitting his first of two solo home runs in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park Aug. 19, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
After sending a total of $50,000, the woman concluded she was the victim of an elaborate scam and decided to contact law enforcement.
She admitted she was naive.
“I was gullible. I believed him,” she said. “I should’ve known better but, I just, I overlooked it.”
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Police in Pennsylvania are investigating. It is unclear if the perpetrator is located in the U.S.
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