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76-year-old now homeless after being scammed out of $800k life-savings
By AJ Janavel
Published June 22, 2023 6:20PM
News
FOX 13 Seattle
76-year-old retired man left homeless after getting scammed out of $800k
A King County man went from having $800,000 in his bank account to being homeless in just a few days due to a scam, family and investigators said.
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. - A King County man went from having $800,000 in his bank account to being homeless in just a few days due to a scam , family and investigators said.
Bogdan Nalivaiko is a Ukrainian immigrant who made western Washington his home decades ago.
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A few weeks ago, he sold his Snoqualmie home. He had plans to move down to Auburn and live off the earnings.
Unfortunately, the 76-year-old lost everything to scammers, according to his daughter, Julia Elders.
"On April 25, he sold his house. On the 26th, he had $800,000 and by May 3, he had zero," said Elders.
Elders said scammers targeted her father. She said they told him he had won more than $17 million dollars, but he had to pay the taxes to get the money.
"I collapsed. Because I could not imagine in such a short amount of time to lose everything you ever had. It’s an entire life’s earnings," said Elders.
Elders lives hundreds of miles away in Minnesota and did not find out about the predicament her father was in until he was facing homelessness.
"They got what they wanted. They wanted everything, and they got it," she said.
Elders said her father was able to take and transfer tens of thousands of dollars at a time from both Chase Bank and Bank of America to pay out the scammers.
"They should have flagged this. And then they said, once I called them, ‘we did everything we could,’" said Elders.
FOX 13 News reached out to both Chase Bank and Bank of America for comment. Officials from both companies said they need more time to investigate the situation.
FOX 13 News also spoke with FBI Assistant Agent in Charge Kelly Smith about this scam.
"I think banks are in the same position as us where they would like to prevent this before it even happens, but the skill set of organized criminal groups does sometimes cause them to be fooled just like the victims in the cases," he said.
Smith said becoming a victim of a scam can be embarrassing and lead to people not wanting to report their experience.
However, he said the best thing you can do is report the incident as soon as possible-- that gives investigators the best chance to collect information.
Smith said always ask friends or family about situations that seem questionable.
He also said people with older parents should check in on them to make sure they are making smart choices with their money.
Find more information on common scams the FBI encounters and how to protect yourself here.
Despite scammers swindling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Bogdan, he said they are continuing to harass him with phone calls.
"No, I’m not talking to them right now. I’m ignoring," he said.
While Bogdan has faced some of the worst of humanity, there is still some good out there. Joe Kenney, a stranger to Bogdan until recently, has been helping the 76-year-old.
Kenney owns a moving company and met Bogdan when he had to leave his home. Kenney is now working with Elders to help get her father in a more stable living situation.
"House is everything. House is life," said Bogdan.
Elders is raising money through a GoFundMe for her father.
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Subscribe me for daily News Updates
76-year-old now homeless after being scammed out of $800k life-savings
By AJ Janavel
Published June 22, 2023 6:20PM
News
FOX 13 Seattle
76-year-old retired man left homeless after getting scammed out of $800k
A King County man went from having $800,000 in his bank account to being homeless in just a few days due to a scam, family and investigators said.
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. - A King County man went from having $800,000 in his bank account to being homeless in just a few days due to a scam , family and investigators said.
Bogdan Nalivaiko is a Ukrainian immigrant who made western Washington his home decades ago.
Breast Cancer Treatment Cost in Mexico Might be Cheaper Than You Think.Breast Cancer | Search Ads
|
Sponsored Search Now
A few weeks ago, he sold his Snoqualmie home. He had plans to move down to Auburn and live off the earnings.
Unfortunately, the 76-year-old lost everything to scammers, according to his daughter, Julia Elders.
"On April 25, he sold his house. On the 26th, he had $800,000 and by May 3, he had zero," said Elders.
Elders said scammers targeted her father. She said they told him he had won more than $17 million dollars, but he had to pay the taxes to get the money.
"I collapsed. Because I could not imagine in such a short amount of time to lose everything you ever had. It’s an entire life’s earnings," said Elders.
Elders lives hundreds of miles away in Minnesota and did not find out about the predicament her father was in until he was facing homelessness.
"They got what they wanted. They wanted everything, and they got it," she said.
Elders said her father was able to take and transfer tens of thousands of dollars at a time from both Chase Bank and Bank of America to pay out the scammers.
"They should have flagged this. And then they said, once I called them, ‘we did everything we could,’" said Elders.
FOX 13 News reached out to both Chase Bank and Bank of America for comment. Officials from both companies said they need more time to investigate the situation.
FOX 13 News also spoke with FBI Assistant Agent in Charge Kelly Smith about this scam.
"I think banks are in the same position as us where they would like to prevent this before it even happens, but the skill set of organized criminal groups does sometimes cause them to be fooled just like the victims in the cases," he said.
Smith said becoming a victim of a scam can be embarrassing and lead to people not wanting to report their experience.
However, he said the best thing you can do is report the incident as soon as possible-- that gives investigators the best chance to collect information.
Smith said always ask friends or family about situations that seem questionable.
He also said people with older parents should check in on them to make sure they are making smart choices with their money.
Find more information on common scams the FBI encounters and how to protect yourself here.
Despite scammers swindling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Bogdan, he said they are continuing to harass him with phone calls.
"No, I’m not talking to them right now. I’m ignoring," he said.
While Bogdan has faced some of the worst of humanity, there is still some good out there. Joe Kenney, a stranger to Bogdan until recently, has been helping the 76-year-old.
Kenney owns a moving company and met Bogdan when he had to leave his home. Kenney is now working with Elders to help get her father in a more stable living situation.
"House is everything. House is life," said Bogdan.
Elders is raising money through a GoFundMe for her father.
DAILY NEWSLETTER
All the news you need to know, every day
By clicking Sign Up, I confirm
that I have read and agree
to the Privacy Policy
and Terms of Service .
Download FOX 13 Apps
Vote in our Poll!
Latest News
View More
DA says Bryan Kohberger's DNA matches sample from knife sheath near Idaho victim Maddie Mogen
76-year-old now homeless after being scammed out of $800k life-savings
Biden reaches agreement with India to remove tariffs on WA apples, chickpeas, lentils
16-year-old robbery suspect arrested in Downtown Seattle, stolen handgun recovered
MultiCare Good Samaritan nurses vote to strike amid staffing issues and unsafe work conditions
Latest Videos
View More
video
3 arrested for alleged illegal gun possession and trafficking
video
Caught on camera: Woman steals cash box from family raising funds to repair their only car
video
Coast Guard says missing submersible imploded near Titanic wreckage, leaving no survivors
video
Everett PD: Woman was hit by multiple drivers in deadly hit-and-run
video
Temps near 80 on Friday, warm weekend ahead
Tweets by fox13seattle
News
Local
National
World
Politics
Get the FOX 13 News App
Links You Saw on TV
Good News Only
FOX 13 en Español
Sign-up for Our Newsletters
Consumer
Gas Prices
Health
Healthier Together
Environment
Entertainment
FOX News Sunday
Good Day Seattle
Watch Live
Seen on Good Day Seattle
Good Day Seattle Team
Links You Saw on TV
Closures & Delays
Things To Do
Submit your Weather Photo/Video
Ski & Snowboard Report
Liz's Pet Tricks
Healthier Together
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Watch Clips from the Show
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Watch Full Episodes on YouTube
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David Rose
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Get the FOX 13 Weather App
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Submit your Weather Photo/Video
Closures & Delays
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MLB All-Star Game
FIFA Women's World Cup
Mariners
Seahawks
Kraken
Storm
Sounders
OL Reign
Huskies
Cougars
Commentary
Watch Live Video
Live Newscasts, Replays & Events
Stream FOX LOCAL on your TV
Watch live streams in mobile app
LiveNOW from FOX
FOX Weather
Watch FOX Soul
Special Coverage
Idaho Students Murdered
Oakley Carlson Disappearance
MLB All-Star Game
Opioid/Fentanyl Epidemic
Missing Persons
Washington State Politics
Lori Vallow-Chad Daybell Case
British Royal Family
Russia-Ukraine War
Money
Personal Finance
Consumer
Business
Economy
Savings
COVID-19 and the Economy
Regional News
San Francisco News - KTVU FOX 2
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FCC Applications
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youtube
tiktok
New Privacy Policy Terms of Service Your Privacy Choices FCC Public FileEEO Public File FCC Applications About Us Jobs At KCPQ and KZJO Contact Us Sitemap
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 FOX Television Stations
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