Navy Veteran says he was scammed, bank account now frozen
DEERFIELD BEACH - Raymond Bruno's condo walls are filled with awards and pictures from a 30-year career with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
The 76-year-old Navy veteran gets a $4,000 a month federal pension check, but right now he can't pay his bills. That's because his checking account at his bank is frozen.
He learned it from a teller, "She said your account was frozen because of fraud."
Bruno is not alone.
The federal trade commission says last year there were 2.8 million fraud reports from consumers, with 5.8 billion dollars lost.
Bruno says his fraud happened when he applied for a personal loan over the internet.
"I gave them my account number and routing number that was my big mistake."
The loan was fake. The bank caught the fraud, but that triggered an audit that the bank has told him could take a month.
"I need my money and they froze it."
He says the bank Friday allowed Bruno to withdraw $1,000, but he'll have to wait for the rest to avoid getting scammed on an internet loan.
Experts say thoroughly research your lender, check their state registration and limit your personal information given and if you are scammed, report it to the internet crime complaint center.
