A Maryland man is accused of ripping off elderly victims in a romance scheme, and he could face 20 years in prison.
He is 28-year-old David Annor, of Gaithersburg. Prosecutors said that between May 2017 and October 2020, Annor was involved in enticing isolated and elderly people to send money that he, his brother and others laundered.
More than $6.2 million was received from over 200 victims. In one case, one victim sent $44,800.
In a news release, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office said Annor and his co-conspirators targeted elderly victims online, typically through social media, dating websites, e-mail and online applications. Once the members convinced the victims to trust them, they would instruct the victims to send money to bank accounts and physical addresses linked to Annor and the other members of the group.
Annor, who pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering, will be sentenced in October. His brother Lesley Annor has also pleaded guilty.
The Department of Justice runs the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). It has an interactive tool for elders who have been financially exploited that can help determine which agency they should report their incident.
There is also a senior scam alert website. Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center or by calling 1-800-225-5324.
Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission or at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
