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A California woman and her husband are dead after she was swindled out of thousands of dollars by a person allegedly posing as actor Tom Selleck, according to the couple's close friend.
Karen Whitaker, 79, and Donald Whitaker, 80, were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide on May 15 at their home in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., per a Riverside County Sheriff's Office news release.
Authorities said Karen had "fallen victim to financial elder abuse" prior to her passing, but noted there is "no evidence to indicate that the unknown suspect(s) who were involved in the financial abuse are directly involved in the couple's death."
While a police investigation is ongoing, the Whitakers' longtime friend Joy Miedecke estimates Karen sent at least $30,000 over the course of a year to a person she had believed to be Selleck, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing or involvement in the case.
"Of course, immediately we said, ‘No, that’s not Tom Selleck. This is a scam,'" Miedecke told NBC News in a May 22 interview. "But she wouldn’t believe anybody."
Miedecke said the scammer first contacted Karen through Facebook, alleging to be the Magnum, P.I. alum and that they shared a mutual friend who died. After exchanging phone numbers, the Selleck impersonator purported that they were hosting an event nearby and allegedly asked Karen to buy an $80 ticket.
“He told her how to send it, and she immediately did," Miedecke said. "He kept writing her and gaining her trust and becoming her friend."
Miedecke alleged the impersonator duped Karen out of an additional $800 when they "told her you can buy a whole table for all your friends."
"That was the beginning,” she continued. "Then he needed money for this, and that and the other, and it just kept growing."
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According to Miedecke, Donald became aware of the alleged money scam when Karen's friends reported her financial activities to the police and adult protective services. And though Donald and the rest of the family cut off Karen's access to financial accounts, Miedecke said her friend "still found ways to get money" and stayed in contact with the impersonator.
“She started hiding everything," Miedecke said, "but she’d be texting all day and all night, it was continuous.”
One day before her death, Karen asked her friends for money, claiming that the wife of Selleck's manager had died and needed financial support, Miedecke said.
"That was the last straw for Donald," she told People in an interview published May 22. "He was so embarrassed. He could not believe she would ask her friends to participate in this scam."
Miedecke added that she wanted to share Karen and Donald's story to raise awareness and prevent others from falling into similar situations.
"The ramifications of someone stealing all of your money when you're not capable of earning more money in your lifetime," Miedecke added, "look at what it causes."
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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