Richard Overton, America’s oldest living World War II veteran, discovered this Friday that his personal bank account had been drained.
The Overton family from Austin, Texas, was devastated when they found out what happened, as they had a lot of their savings on Richards account.
“Someone set up a bogus account, got his Social Security number and accessed his personal checking account,” Volma Overton, Richard’s third cousin, told Dallas News. “This is going to be a setback for Richard. It was a significant amount of money.”
Richard Overton’s bank account had been drained after someone had gotten his bank information and Social Security number, which they then used to purchase bonds.
The bank stated that money had been withdrawn for times from Richard’s account.
“He’s going to be upset,” Martin Wilford, a close friend of the family, told KomoNews. “We are trying to keep him in his home through all types of fundraisers, and someone could just take from him? You’re going to do that to him? Shame on you.”
Luckely, Richard Overton’s compromised account was not connected to the GoFundMe campaign setup to help pay for 24/7 care in his home.
“On behalf of the Overton family, we greatly appreciate any donations to help Richard stay in his home and receive in-home care.” said Richard’s GoFundMe page.
When I went by to see Mr. Overton this morning, they told him the police Chief was here to see him, he asked “what did I do?” 😀 Happy 112th birthday Mr. Richard Overton! 🎉 #AustinPD #RichardOverton pic.twitter.com/BvYzu9hdkn
— Chief Brian Manley (@Chief_Manley) May 11, 2018
After the unfortunate incident Overton said that “Hopefully justice will be done.”
In May, Richard Overton celebrated his 112 birthday which makes him the oldest man in the United States of America.
The bank has contacted Treasury Direct to see if they can identify who started the account. We hope they catch the despicable individual who did this.
