An elderly victim of cyber crime no longer has to worry how she will pay the bills thanks to investigators who turned her life around.
Seventy-one-year-old Jeanette Voss of Bennington, Vermont, was forced to obsess over saving money after cyber scammers took her life savings which was $950,000 just over four years ago, NHPR reported January 20.
Voss, who lives in a small home, rationed her car trips, unplugged appliances, and checked her bank account frequently to ensure she had enough money to live on. The outlet said when the scammers took her money, she ended up living on her Social Security checks and used food stamps for groceries.
It seemed to Voss all was lost even though she had responsibly planned for retirement. She also felt down because due to not having that money, she was unable to afford visiting loved ones who lived out of state.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2025 highlighted the problem of elder fraud, explaining that criminals target and take advantage of that vulnerable group.
“The FBI continues to work with our local, state, tribal, and federal partners to tackle elder fraud and stop those who attempt to harm the elderly,” the agency said.
However, everything changed for Voss when she learned the United States Secret Service had been working on her case and others like it.
“Investigators traced $648,000 of her funds to a cryptocurrency account associated with a man involved in the international scam ring, court records show. After seizing the crypto wallet, government officials sold the tokens in order to compensate Voss and some of the other 20-plus victims,” the NHPR article said, noting every penny was returned to her, plus interest, with a total of $1,033,000.
The United States Secret Service highlighted the case in a social media post on Monday:
Voss discovered the money in her bank account on Christmas Eve, and she is now planning to visit relatives in California. In addition, she spent some money on food for the neighborhood animals who lifted her spirits when she thought things would never change.
“I bought some raw peanuts in the shell for the squirrels. That was my big celebration, honestly. I really couldn’t think of anything that I needed,” she explained.
According to the United States Secret Service website, the elderly are disproportionately targeted by all kinds of financial scams and it “works closely with local and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate these crimes.”
