HOUSTON — A Houston-area couple said they were targets of a scam that accused the husband of cheating. They didn't fall for it but they're warning others about the fake letters that are being sent in the Memorial Villages area.
The couple told KHOU 11's Grace White that they'll have been married for 46 years next month and laughed the letter off, but wanted to share their story to prevent others from becoming victims.
"You guys picked the wrong couple," said Richard Sewell.
The note was from a woman claiming to be Richard's mistress, saying she has pictures and evidence and that she has a baby she needs money to care for.
"I started reading the letter and said, 'You've got to be kidding, there's not a snowball's chance,'" Beth said.
For Richard and his wife, Beth, it was a little too elaborate of a story.
"With all that's gone on, I'm not running around with a 29-year-old getting her pregnant," he said. " Good luck, it would be the immaculate conception."
For the last few years, Richard has been battling lymphoma, they explained.
"My second thought was, 'This poor person, this isn't real,'" he said.
Richard said when he looked more closely at it, he felt worse for the woman whose driver's license and Social Security card were attached to the letter. Turns out, she's a real person who said her identity had been stolen.
The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Gina, said both her Social Security and driver's license information were likely taken in a recent computer hack.
"I am super flabbergasted and just shocked," she said.
The couple said the way the envelope was mailed makes them worried it could be mass produced by scammers fishing for victims.
"It looked like, because it was a window envelope, it was a bill," Beth said.
"This, to me, is kind of a public service message. Because if you are in a relationship that's rocky and rough, you don't need anything like this to stir the pot," Richard said.
Memorial Villages police said they are aware of the scam and have had a lot of mail theft reported recently. Detectives believe that may be where this scam may have originated from.