LA man, 90, scammed out of more than $800K in life savings

An elderly Los Angeles man was left reeling after scammers quietly drained $814,000 in life savings from his bank account.

Irving Rosenberg — who is 90 years old and struggles with hearing, walking and, at times, his memory — said the unauthorized withdrawals from his account began last April and quickly wiped out almost everything he’d ever saved, ABC7 Eyewitness News reported.

“I was angry and frustrated,” Rosenberg told ABC7. “It took all my life savings. … I was hurt.”

It wasn’t until the news network’s investigations unit — “7 On Your Side” — stepped in that the bank agreed to pay up.

The checks draining Rosenberg’s account weren’t even his, and the family reported the fraud to Wells Fargo, which initially slammed the door, citing a strict 60-day reporting rule, according to ABC7.

However, investigators with ABC7 pressed the financial institution, which ultimately resulted in Rosenberg’s money being restored.

Wells Fargo said in a statement that it has returned the elderly man’s money and continues to make fraud prevention a top priority.

“After working with our customer and their designated Power of Attorney, and reviewing additional information, we are pleased to share that we are returning Mr. Rosenberg’s money back to his account,” said the statement from Wells Fargo, according to ABC7.

“Fraud prevention remains a top priority, and we encourage all customers to review their statements monthly and report anything suspicious right away so we can act quickly to protect them.”

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