The Perfect Scam
The Perfect Scam
AARP
LA Fire Survivor Faces PayPal Impostor Scam
55 minutes Posted May 22, 2026 at 4:01 am.
0:00
55:10
Download MP3
Show notes

After escaping the Palisades fire in January of 2025, Ellen doesn't know if she and her husband Steve will have a home to return to. Miraculously, their house is still standing, but it needs extensive cleaning and repairs. They move into an apartment and begin working with insurance and contractors. In March, Steve is diagnosed with cancer and passes away just a few months later. Displaced, stressed out and now grieving her beloved husband, Ellen is caught off guard by a PayPal alert for a charge she doesn't recognize. Soon, the insurance money meant to fix her home is gone.