Phone Scammer Targets Military Family, Tells Man His Marine Son Was Killed in Exercise
After a North Dakota father received an earth-shattering phone call, he was almost too heartbroken to realize that it was actually a scam.
Thankfully, he acted quickly and was able to protect his identity, but he is now sharing his story to help others.
John Stautz’s son is an active-duty Marine, so when he received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Marine Corps, it didn’t seem completely out of the question.
“He said he was from the United States Marine Corps and that my son had been killed in live-fire practice,” Stautz told KVLY-TV in Fargo.
“They wanted to know when and where I wanted him buried and how soon and then they would call me back,” he said.
Heartbroken and shocked, Stautz processed the news he had just received before calling his wife.
The more he reflected on the call, however, the more things didn’t seem to add up.
“I started thinking this is kind of odd because I’ve seen it where the military comes to your door, not call you on the phone,” he said.
Not only did that seem odd, but the caller also asked Stautz for his Social Security number for verification.
It didn’t take long for the truth to come to light, however.
As Stautz’s wife called to tell other family members the terrible news, Stautz’s brother delivered soothing news.
“My oldest brother got ahold of my daughter, who just happened to say, ‘No, he’s just fine,'” Stautz said.
Bess Ellenson, communications director for the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota & North Dakota, told KVLY that Stautz’s incident, while frustrating, isn’t uncommon.
“Unfortunately, these scams tend to work because the scammer on the other side ends up instilling fear in the person that they’re calling,” she said.
The Better Business Bureau reported that 50,559 scams were reported in North America in 2018 alone, which was a nearly 6 percent increase from the year before.
Thankfully, Stautz discovered the call was a hoax quickly and was able to take proper steps to protect his identity.
“Somebody with a really bad thought, twisted thought would have to do this,” he said, “and that’s a shame it happens to anybody.”
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