On April 9, 2025, at around 1:40 p.m., Officer Nikolas Brendel of the Fairfield Glade Police Department responded to a scam report. The victim reported being locked out of her Hulu account and contacted a fraudulent customer service number. Scammers, posing as “Peter Smith” and “Jimmy Elis” with foreign accents, claimed her account was hacked, gained remote access to her phone, and tricked her into entering her Social Security number and unlocking apps with her PIN.

Approximately $1,400 was moved from her checking account, and $78,000 was transferred from her PayPal savings account, with $76,000 moved to her First National Bank of Tennessee checking account and $3,800 left in savings. Additional transactions, including crypto purchases, resulted in about $1,700 lost from the savings account, totaling an estimated $2,100 in losses.

The victim was in contact with her bank and PayPal, securing her accounts and expecting reimbursement. Officer Brendel advised her to file an IC3.gov report, have her phone professionally cleaned, and change all passwords. The victim was disoriented and unable to provide fully accurate details due to the ordeal.