Woman called elderly people who recently had a death in the family to scam them out of thousands of dollars, feds say

An Atlantic City woman is accused of being part of a scheme to steal thousands of dollars from elderly people who recently had a spouse or family member die, according to prosecutors.

Victoria Crosby, 44, was charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of concealing information affecting a continued right to payment by the Social Security Administration, one count of health care fraud and one count of making a false statement, representation or document to Department of Housing and Urban Development.

She was charged in a New Jersey federal court.

Prosecutors say Crosby and others used prepaid cellphones to contact people who recently lost a spouse or other family members. Many victims were older than 70 years old.

Crosby and others used fake names and said they were from a retirement benefits office or life insurance company, according to prosecutors. They told the victim they had to pay thousands of dollars owed on the policies.

The victims were told to buy prepaid gift cards and provide the callers with the codes on the back, according to prosecutors. Crosby and others then took the money off the cards and put it into accounts they controlled.

Prosecutors also say there is surveillance video that shows Crosby withdrawing money in the accounts from various ATMs in New Jersey.

At the time of the scheme, Crosby received benefits from the federal government and lived in public housing, prosecutors noted. Crosby received more than $110,000 in the plot, and had the feds been aware of the income, she wouldn’t have been eligible for the benefits.

Crosby faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted.