COVINA, Calif. — A retired California couple is speaking out after they were scammed out of $845,000, losing nearly all of their life savings.
It all started when Peter and Diane Hata received a call in February 2025 from someone impersonating an U.S. Postal Service worker. The scammer accused the Hatas of shipping illegal guns and claimed that the FBI was conducting an active investigation.
“Naturally, you want to find out what happened because you want to clear your name,” said Peter Hata.
After being transferred to a video conference with a purported FBI agent, they were informed that they could expedite their case through sending money.
“We jumped at it because we were scared out of our minds,” said Peter Hata.
Over the course of several months after, the couple sent the scammers tens of thousands of dollars through cryptocurrency. They even went as far as taking out an equity loan on their home of 37 years.
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