An 82-year-old couple believed they were 'helping' a federal investigation. It was a $1.3 million scam.
In September 2023, Barbara Cook felt a sense of relief when she got a call from two people who said they represented the security teams of Amazon and her financial institution, TD Bank.
The then 80-year-old and her husband, Larry, had been experiencing issues with Amazon for months and had been unable to place orders.
She handed the phone to her spouse. One of the men said that his name and Social Security number had been used for purchases on the dark web.
Within hours, the couple would be drawn into a web of deceit by scammers who stole their $1.3 million savings destined for their retirement, charity, and family in their will.
The fraudsters gained their trust
The con saw them feed stashes of $50 and $100 bills into bitcoin ATMs, and hand over gold bullion in their home state of Maine and in Florida, where they owned a condo for the winter.
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It took the Cooks more than six months to realize they'd been duped. The couple obeyed the instructions of a con artist posing as an agent from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
He gained their trust by insisting they were doing their civic duty by assisting the organization, which was "following the money" to catch cybercriminals.
"My wife and I have always liked to help people," Larry Cook, now 82, a former pastor in Pennsylvania and founding pastor of the Africa-based nonprofit, Kenya's Kids, told Business Insider. "We thought we were helping the US government."
In a follow-up call to the supposed contacts from Amazon and TD Bank, the scammers convinced them to "help" by threatening expensive court action if they didn't comply.
The swindlers also said their two sons, successful professionals, would be drawn into the case, and their reputations would be damaged.
The conmen said the criminals knew their Social Security numbers
Their other tactic was to claim that the Cooks' savings should be transferred into "safe accounts" — after being converted to bitcoin or gold — because they were at risk of being stolen. They said the would-be perpetrators knew their Social Security numbers and other confidential details.
Next, they sent them a convincing letter with a seal purported to be from the then-treasury secretary. It said that if they told anyone about their part in the "investigation," they'd pay the price by having their assets taken away.
"We know it sounds unbelievable, but we were scared," Larry, who first told his story to the Portland Press Herald, said. He signed a fake agreement.
The couple was assigned an "FTC agent," who said his name was "Ryan Terry." The man showed them how to download WhatsApp — which he then used to voice-call them — and set up a bitcoin wallet.
Terry persuaded them to withdraw more than $1.3 million in increments from TD Bank, emptying their savings accounts, including 401(k) plans. Larry said he was questioned by bank clerks almost every time, who asked if it was a scam.
They deposited their money in bitcoin ATMs
He said no because he thought it was a legitimate investigation and he was being patriotic, he said. The senior, who made most of his money while working for corporate companies, wasn't required to disclose what he was doing with the money.
Unbeknownst to their family, whom they wanted to protect, the couple deposited the bills into bitcoin machines at storefront bodegas and gas stations.
"Some of them seemed sketchy, and I prayed that Larry would not be harmed," said Barbara Cook, who often waited in their car while her husband performed the transactions.
A percentage of the money and gold, which they purchased online under Terry's guidance, was picked up by nameless couriers from their house near Augusta, Maine, and their condo in Naples, Florida.
The value of each package ranged from $50,000 to $150,000. Terry asked them to send him photos of the wads of cash and gold nuggets as proof they were following instructions.
He promised that the FTC would provide them with new Social Security numbers, restore their savings, and reimburse their expenses.
Larry Cook thought he was doing a good service to the US
One red flag that Larry ignored at the time was Terry verifying his Florida address and asking how to spell Naples. "I spelled it out for him, then I said, 'You're a government agent. Shouldn't you be able to spell Naples?"
Terry made an excuse, and the moment passed. "He always seemed like a nice, considerate person," Larry said. He often inquired about the Cooks' six-decade marriage and confided that he was going through a challenging time with his wife.
"He said that, when this was over, he'd like to meet us in person and ask our advice," Larry added.
The scam lasted until April 2024, shortly after Larry returned from visiting the children's homes of his organization in Kenya. He called Terry, only to discover that his WhatsApp no longer worked.
He tried to dial multiple times before contacting the FTC at its regional office in Dallas, where Terry had said he frequently worked. The operator said there was no such agent.
His heart sank when they transferred him to a victim hotline, and he was told to contact the police and the FBI. He was told that the FTC does not ask consumers to move money, buy cryptocurrency or gold, or keep investigations secret.
Agents spent two days at the Cooks' home, reviewing the emails and letters from the scammers — many of which had spelling and grammatical mistakes that the couple hadn't noticed.
The couple's Medicare payments were dramatically increased
An investigation was launched, but the couple heard in the fall of 2025 that the authorities didn't expect to recover their money. The IRS had previously ruled that they had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes on the money they'd withdrawn because it was considered taxable income.
They'd sought help from the office of US Sen. Susan Collins for Maine, which intervened to help them at least partially recover the tax money they'd already paid, and get some of it written off.
Another issue was a staggering increase in their Medicare payments, which are indexed to their original tax returns. The health insurance problem — which has resulted in them paying a monthly premium of $1,465 compared to $200 a month before the fraud— is unresolved
Larry recalled the heartbreaking moment in April 2024 when the couple summoned their closest family members to tell them about the fraud and apologize for keeping the cash transactions secret.
"We all cried together," he said. "They were devastated and couldn't understand why I'd let it happen. They weren't condemning me, but saying, 'Dad, you should have known better,' which was true."
The Cooks want to warn and comfort others
He said they didn't care about the fact that much of the stolen money had been bequeathed to them in their parents' will. Their greatest concern was that a significant amount had been earmarked to fund a new, specialized home for Down syndrome kids in Kenya in honor of the Cooks' 25-year-old grandson, who has the condition.
Still, the Cooks refuse to let the fraud get the better of them. They believe God has given them renewed purpose by sharing their story to warn others and comfort those who have been similarly scammed but are too afraid to speak up.
Larry said, "Are we embarrassed? Yes. Were we ignorant and stupid? Yes. But we have transferred our pain and anger to sympathy and empathy."
Editor's note: Amazon and TD Bank said they could not comment on specific customer accounts. TD Bank advised customers to disconnect unsolicited calls and contact the bank through official channels. Amazon encourages consumers to report suspected scams at amazon.com/ReportAScam.
For more information about protection against scams and what to do if you think you're a victim, please access the FBI's anti-fraud website.
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