TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa man is out thousands and afraid for his life after scammers connected with him on Facebook.
He reached out to 2 Works For You on the Problem Solvers Hotline after harassing Facebook messages asking for money turned into threats.
62-year-old Terry Young has a message for others after going through what he called the worst time of his life.
“I ask God to bless everyone and not have them go through what I went through here," Young said. "So, please people, don’t send people online money.”
It’s been tough few years for Young since leaving a job he loved at a moving company two years ago. He was forced to retire when his physical ailments became too dangerous.
“I got to move people and I got to care about them and they would care about me,” Young said.
Due to his physical disabilities, he can't work at all, and depends on a disability check.
“I”m living off 800 a month period, that’s it,” Young said.
Outside of living costs, the rest is spent on vital medications and to supplement the $62 a month he gets in food stamps.
“I have to hustle with all of the food banks to actually survive,” Young said.
His tight budget left him in a less than desirable living situation, riddled with structural, electrical and safety issues.
“Cockroaches, rats, everything else, holes in the wall, the foundation in the back is falling and the door frames practically wiggle loose,” Young said.
Young is dreaming of a different living situation or at least preparing some of the issues with his current space. So, when he entered a contest on Facebook and was told he’d won $650,000, he thought his luck was changing.
“I thought I was doing the right thing trying to help myself into a better life and a better situation for what I have left of my life,” Young said.
But sadly, the scam cost him.
“The first time I had to pay $300 to get my winnings,” Young sighed. “Then something came up and it was four-something that time, then this last time I paid in $700.”
After Young had lost around $2,000, he refused to send more. That’s when the scammers started calling and messaging him constantly.
In the last few weeks, Young received hundreds of calls, messages and threats.
“It just tears me up, they’ve said they are going to send people after me and have me arrested all kinds of stuff like that,” Young said. “I ask God to just have this lady leave me alone.”
The Problem Solvers helped Young file a report with Tulsa police who helped him block the callers who are harassing him.
If you would like to help Terry Young in any way, contact our Problem Solvers Hotline at 918- 748-1502.
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