Anaconda woman becomes AARP Montana Fraud Ambassador to help others after scammers wipe out her savings

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AARP Montana Profiles in Caring Spotlight: Susan Bivins

Susan Bivins cares about other people. After all, she is a retired nurse and spent her entire career caring for others. Now, in her retirement, she is on a mission to help others steer clear of fraud, so they don’t lose their retirement savings – just as she did.

It all started about three years ago. One day, Susan noticed fraudulent charges on her Amazon account and contacted her bank and Amazon. After disputing the charges, she thought the issue was resolved.

However, a few weeks later, she received a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon, informing her of more unusual activity. The caller transferred her to a man posing as a DEA agent named Randall Jenkins, who convinced her she was a suspect in a money laundering scheme. Over the course of several weeks, he perpetrated an elaborate and convincing con to manipulate Susan into transferring her savings to a supposed U.S. Treasury secured locker.

Realizing she had been scammed, Susan contacted law enforcement, but the culprits had already disappeared with her $240,000 retirement savings. She was forced to sell her beloved Victorian house and move to a smaller home.

As a way to heal and fight back against scammers, Susan decided to speak out in hopes that it will help others. She is working with AARP Montana as a fraud ambassador to educate Montanans on how to avoid being scammed. Susan has given several presentations at conferences, forums and Tele Town Halls to help educate others on how to spot scams and steer clear of criminals. Her story was also featured on the AARP Perfect Scam podcast.

She hopes her experience can help others learn from her mistakes and avoid falling victim to similar schemes.

Susan is available as a speaker for groups and conferences on fraud prevention. To request Susan as a speaker, send an e-mail to: MTAARP@aarp.org with details of your request.