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ID thief steals savings of America’s oldest living war veteran

By Victoria Leoni

Jul 5, 2018

Richard Overton leaves the court after a special presentation honoring him as the oldest living American war veteran during a timeout in a March 2017 NBA basketball game. The family of Richard Overton says Social Security and banking account numbers for the 112-year-old Austin man were used to make seven withdrawals over the past several months. (AP Photo/Darren Abate, File)

Richard Overton is America’s oldest living war veteran and the oldest man in the country. The 112-year-old Austin, Texas man recently received word from his bank that his savings had been restored after an identity thief drained his personal checking account.

Overton’s family said an impersonator stole the veteran’s Social Security number and bank account information and used them to make seven withdrawals over the past several months.

Cousin Volma Overton would not disclose the exact amount stolen, but said it was a “significant amount.”

The family filed a police report Friday, and earlier this week, Bank of America restored the stolen funds to Overton’s account, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The money stolen is separate from the GoFundMe campaign used to fund Overton’s 24/7 homecare since December 2016. That campaign has raised nearly $450,000 and saw a spike in donations after news of the ID theft broke.

Overton fought in World War II in a segregated Army unit and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack. He has been confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group as the oldest living man in America and the second-oldest living man in the world.

The Austin Police Department along with several other agencies is investigating the case.

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