TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — David Strizver is a long time Tucsonan.
“We moved here in ’77 I was eight years old,” Strizver said.
While he’s lived in Tucson a while, he’s having a rough week.
David was taken for over $2,000, convinced by scammers he was eligible for a $100,000 grant for people living with disabilities from the government.
“I don’t catch on right away when it comes to someone trying to pull the wool over my eyes so to say," Strizver said.
He communicated with the scammers over text, and he told him he had to buy Apple gift cards, then send them the codes to cover the delivery fees for his cash payment.
After he bought five cards and still hadn’t received the one hundred thousand, David felt something was wrong.
“I started to think to myself why am I paying all this out when it’s supposed to be a grant," Strizver said.
When he told his mom Judy Silverman what was happening her heart dropped.
“I just felt terrible because I knew immediately. I thought, 'Oh my God...they got him,'" Silverman said.
Because of the scam, David is now behind on his electric bill, lost his car, and his parents had to pay his September rent.
He filed a report with the Tucson police, and Apple has voided the gift cards that weren’t used yet.
But when Judy spoke to the CVS David bought the gift cards from, she says they weren’t able to provide an immediate refund.
“CVS kept telling me, 'We have to research this more. There’s nothing we can do,'" Silverman said.
She’s still hopeful the scammers can be caught and arrested, and says Tucson Police have the IP address to the phone David was sending text messages to.
While most of the money is likely gone, David says he hopes by sharing his story others won't fall into the same trap.
“I have nothing from it. I lost a lot of money and I mainly hope with people with disabilities, I don’t want them to get caught up and lose so much money for nothing," Strizver said.
You can follow this link to report financial scams to TPD, and get resources for help.
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Adam Klepp is a reporter for KGUN 9. At his previous station in Yuma, Adam focused on a range of local issues including the border, water rights and healthcare. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and attended both Loyola University Chicago and Syracuse University. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing adam.klepp@kgun9.com or by connecting on Twitter.
