Pahrump woman warns of $10,000 scam

Nevada has a history of being a state with many fraud occurrences. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Nevada ranked as the fourth highest state with fraud reports in 2024.

This statistic recently became a reality for a Pahrump woman, who says she was scammed out of $10,000.

Elizabeth Kay Tippery, 78, who goes by Kay, grew up in Texas and New Mexico but spent most her life in the San Francisco Bay Area. During her 50 years in California, she worked as a registered nurse and private investigator.

Tippery moved to Pahrump nine years ago with her brother, who passed on June 27 of this year.

“I can’t believe I allowed this to happen to me because I was so not right because my brother had just died,” Tippery said.

Tippery went to a local funeral home on July 3 to make final arrangements but when she tried to pay, her card was declined. She decided to call her bank to resolve the issue.

“Instead of looking on the back of my card for that number, I went through Google,” explained Tippery. “And the minute I went through Google is when the scam started.”

At that moment, Tippery had just called a Wells Fargo imposter number. The man on the phone claimed someone was actively trying to commit fraud against her.

“He was very nice,” explained Tippery. “He had answers for everything.”

Tippery said the man spoke well and acted very professionally. He told Tippery that Wells Fargo had deposited $10,000 dollars into her checking account. He then told her to withdraw the money and to stay on the phone with him.

Tippery then drove to Wells Fargo and pulled out $10,000 in cash. She went to the post office to buy a box and put the money in it, per the man’s instructions. He told Tippery that a Wells Fargo field agent was on the way to collect the package.

“Well, the person that arrived was an Uber driver,” explained Tippery. “And she had nothing to do with this, nothing at all.”

Tippery even tried to talk to the Uber driver but was told immediately not to speak to her by the man who was still on the phone with her. After following his instructions to put the box full of cash in the back seat, the car drove away.

A few days later, Tippery realized Wells Fargo never deposited $10,000 dollars; the scammers simply moved that money from her credit card to her checking account. The money was gone.

Tippery believes the scammers somehow obtained her bank information while she was at the funeral home. She claims they targeted her because they knew she was vulnerable and grieving.

“I would say to the elderly of this town, be aware,” Tippery said. “When somebody wants cash, be aware, you need to educate yourself.”

Tippery has tried to call Wells Fargo for help, but says she keeps being put on hold for hours at a time and is getting nowhere.

Tippery also said she’s made the first payment on her credit card but is unsure how she’ll pay off the rest.

According to her, there is still a nearly $10,000 outstanding balance on her credit card.

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com