'What if this happened to you': Megyn Kelly reveals family's near miss with $17K scam during 'Fraud Week'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Megyn Kelly recently revealed a chilling encounter where her family narrowly escaped falling victim to a sophisticated scam, which almost resulted in them losing $17,000.

During 'Fraud Week' on 'The Megyn Kelly Show', the journalist shared how scammers targeted her elderly mother-in-law, Jackie, by posing as relatives in distress.

Megyn Kelly's personal encounter with deception

"There are words of caution in this story for everyone... We decided to tell you the story - even though we knew you might mock us a little - because we want to help others and we learned a lot ourselves."

It began on January 22, 2021, during the Covid-19 epidemic, Megyn recounted. Megyn and her family prepared to travel for a wedding, and her husband, Doug Brunt, received a disturbing call from his 84-year-old mother, Jackie, in Philadelphia.

Jackie had received a distressing call from someone claiming to be Kelly's sister-in-law, Diane, who purportedly needed bail money after a car accident on Cape Cod.

Megyn and Doug intervened, attempting to verify the story and even considering using cryptocurrency for the transaction due to Covid-19 protocols.

Lessons learned and a call to vigilance

However, suspicions arose when a friend in Cape Cod noticed discrepancies, such as the mispronunciation of local names. This led them to uncover that Diane and her partner were safe at home all along.

"Diane and Brad are safe, no one has handed over any money," Megyn said, recalling the relief of discovering the truth.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Megyn emphasized the importance of sharing such experiences to raise awareness and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams. "What if this happened to your mom or to you? Now you'll know. If we hadn't told the story, you might not know. Maybe you would be hoodwinked. I don't know. It could happen. Trust me," she said earnestly.

"We decided to tell you the story - even though we knew you might mock us a little - because we want to help others and we learned a lot ourselves," Megyn continued, underscoring the need for open dialogue about fraud to dismantle the stigma that often prevents victims from coming forward.

Megyn Kelly urges everybody to talk about such experiences

Megyn highlighted that even well-informed individuals can be deceived under such circumstances, urging her audience to remain vigilant and skeptical.

"If you get defrauded by one of these losers – or almost defrauded, in our case – what does it say about you? It says you believe in human nature. You believe in others. You probably have a kind heart. You are probably a trusting soul. Those are not bad things. But a slightly jaded, trusting soul? I think that is what we are going for," she remarked, encouraging a balanced approach to trust.

''That is why we shared, and that is why we hope everybody listens and talks about these kinds of things more and more. We can help each other."

Public reaction: voices on scam awareness

Public reactions to Megyn Kelly's revelation underscore a range of perspectives on scam awareness and prevention.

One user said, "I strongly believe that any crime committed against children or the elderly should be an aggregating circumstance in the eyes of the law that should result in a mandatory prison sentence, and should be punished to the limit of the law!"

Another commented, "By now doesn’t everyone know that if you get a call from someone claiming to be a relative needing money and saying they’ve had to use someone else’s phone - CALL THEIR NUMBER AND CHECK!"

One user replied, "They were suspicious of the lawyer mispronouncing Barnstable, but not of the request for bail to be paid in cryptocurrency?"

Another added, "My 85 year old mother in law didn't even fall for that one.  Someone pretending to be my son called sobbing that he was in jail and needed bail money.  She asked who had his dog Pickles and he said a friend.  His dog wasn't named Pickles she hung up.  They called back and she told them to call you brother.  He said he lost his phone and needed the number.  He doesn't have a brother.   They called right back and she didn't pick up."

One said, "Why wouldn't they just contact the police department directly in the town they were supposedly held?"

Another said, "You would think people would know the voice of their relative or would call their relatives' cell phone if they get this type of call."

One replied, "What kind of scammers are these??? $17,000?? That's peanuts to her. My bail was set at half a million dollars. NOW you're talking money! :D"

One said, "I’m surprised ( nearly) megyn fell for it .. she’s normally very snappy."

Another wrote, "This one says anything for attention."

One added, "Any lie for attention."

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