One bank employee apparently saw enough to become concerned.
But just miles away, another transaction went through—and an 81-year-old Colorado woman ultimately lost $49,000 to scammers.
Wilma Helms of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and her family are now sharing what happened after they say a scam unfolded over the course of a single day.
According to 9NEWS Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger’s report, Helms’ ordeal began on the morning of Aug. 7.
What followed illustrates how scammers can create a sense of urgency, keep victims focused on following instructions and turn one phone call into a devastating financial loss.
It also raises a question many families may want to consider before something happens: Would an older parent or grandparent know what to do if someone suddenly claimed their money was in danger?
It began with an unexpected call
According to 9NEWS, Helms received a call from someone claiming there was a problem involving her money.
The situation quickly escalated.
The scammer convinced Helms that she needed to withdraw money from her bank as part of the supposed solution.
That pattern is increasingly familiar to federal consumer-protection officials.
Scammers often begin by creating a crisis involving someone’s finances, identity or computer. They may pretend to represent a bank, well-known company or government agency and tell the victim that immediate action is necessary.
The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers that scammers may falsely claim someone is using a victim’s accounts, that the person’s identity has been connected to a crime or that there is a security problem involving a computer.
The supposed solution often involves moving money.
That’s exactly what the FTC says consumers should not do.
A bank employee questioned what was happening
One of the most striking parts of Helms’ family’s account came when she went to a PNC Bank branch to obtain a cashier’s check.
According to 9NEWS’ reporting, employees at that location became concerned about the transaction and questioned what was happening.
The transaction did not go through there.
That might seem like the point where the story would end.
It wasn’t.
Helms went to another PNC branch only a few miles away.
According to her family, that branch issued the cashier’s check without asking the same questions.
By the time the scam was over, Helms had lost $49,000.
Her family told 9NEWS they believe the bank should have done more to prevent the loss.
PNC’s response and additional details about the family’s dispute with the bank are included in the original 9NEWS report on Wilma Helms’ case.
Why scammers want victims to act quickly
A demand for immediate action is one of the biggest warning signs families can learn to recognize.
Scammers don’t want someone to stop, think about the situation, call a son or daughter or independently contact the bank.
They want momentum.
The FTC says high-loss impersonation scams frequently begin with a false alarm designed to create fear.
Someone supposedly has access to your bank account.
Your Social Security number is supposedly being used by criminals.
Your computer has supposedly been hacked.
Then comes the solution: move the money somewhere “safe.”
The FTC’s advice is remarkably straightforward:
Don’t move money to protect it.
A legitimate business or government agency isn’t going to unexpectedly instruct someone to transfer money, withdraw cash or move savings in order to keep the money safe.
Instead, the FTC recommends ending the conversation and independently contacting the company or agency using a telephone number or website you already know is legitimate.
Read the FTC’s guidance on these schemes at False Alarm, Real Scam: How Scammers Are Stealing Older Adults’ Life Savings.
Older Americans are losing staggering amounts
Helms’ $49,000 loss is devastating, but it isn’t an isolated example of older Americans losing large amounts of money to fraud.
The FBI says Americans age 60 and older filed more than 201,000 complaints involving suspected internet crime in 2025.
Their reported losses totaled more than $7.7 billion.
That’s a 59% increase in reported losses compared with 2024.
The average reported loss among victims 60 and older was approximately $38,500, and more than 12,400 people in that age group reported losing at least $100,000.
More information is available in the FBI’s warning about scams targeting older adults.
The FTC has documented another troubling trend.
From 2020 through 2024, the number of reports from older adults who lost at least $10,000 to business or government impersonation scams increased more than fourfold.
In 2025 alone, consumers of all ages reported losing about $3.5 billion to imposter scams, according to the FTC.
Families can create a plan before the phone rings
One lesson from cases like Helms’ is that conversations about scams may be more useful before a suspicious call ever arrives.
Families can agree on a simple rule:
If anyone unexpectedly asks for a large withdrawal, wire transfer, cashier’s check, cryptocurrency purchase or other movement of money, stop before completing the transaction and call someone you trust.
It doesn’t matter how convincing the caller sounds.
It doesn’t matter whether the caller knows personal information.
And it doesn’t matter if the number appearing on the phone looks legitimate.
Phone numbers and caller IDs can be spoofed.
Families can also establish a trusted person an older relative agrees to contact before making an unusual large financial transaction.
That isn’t about taking away someone’s financial independence. It’s about creating a second set of eyes for the exact moment scammers are trying hardest to prevent their target from slowing down.
Secrecy is another warning sign
Scammers may also tell victims not to discuss what is happening with relatives, bank employees or law enforcement.
That should immediately raise concern.
The FBI’s senior-fraud guidance specifically warns people to resist pressure to act immediately or keep financial transactions secret.
Families can watch for other changes, too.
The FBI lists large or frequent withdrawals, increased anxiety or fearfulness, sudden isolation and unexplained financial activity among potential warning signs caregivers and relatives should take seriously.
What to do if money has already been sent
Discovering a scam after money has moved doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing left to do.
The FBI recommends contacting the financial institution involved immediately.
Speed matters because, depending on how money was transferred and where it went, financial institutions or law enforcement may sometimes be able to take action.
Victims of internet-enabled fraud can also report what happened to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Fraud can also be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Victims should save text messages, emails, telephone numbers, receipts, bank records and other information connected to the scam rather than deleting them.
One interrupted transaction wasn’t enough
Perhaps the most unsettling detail in Helms’ story is that the suspicious transaction was questioned.
For a moment, there was an opportunity for the scam to stop.
But according to her family’s account, she went to another branch, obtained the cashier’s check and ultimately lost $49,000.
Her family believes more should have been done to protect her. PNC told 9NEWS that protecting customers from fraud is a priority and that it has safeguards and training intended to help identify suspicious transactions.
Whatever ultimately comes from the family’s dispute with the bank, Helms’ experience offers families a practical reason to have a conversation now.
Ask an older parent or grandparent what they would do if someone called tomorrow and said their bank account had been compromised.
Ask whether they would know not to move their money.
And establish who they will call before making an unusual large withdrawal.
Because modern scams aren’t always successful because someone believes an unbelievable story.
Sometimes they succeed because the scammer creates enough fear and urgency that the victim doesn’t get the opportunity to stop and ask someone they trust one simple question:
Does this make sense?
Sources: 9NEWS — Colorado woman scammed out of nearly $50,000 | Federal Trade Commission — False Alarm, Real Scam | FTC — Business and government impersonators target older adults | FBI — Scammers Target Older Adult Victims | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center | FTC ReportFraud