Elderly Phillies Fan Allegedly Scammed Out of $50,000 by Man Impersonating Trea Turner

Patrick Andres | May 9, 2024

Apr 16, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; General view of a baseball on the pitcher's mound. / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

In two years with the Philadelphia Phillies, shortstop Trea Turner has evolved into a beloved figure on a winning team.

Unfortunately, someone allegedly used Turner's status among Phillies fans to prey on a 70-year-old Towamencin Township, Pa., woman with Parkinson's disease.

The woman—who did not give her name to WTXF-TV in Philadelphia—said that she was scammed out of $50,000 by a man impersonating the shortstop.

"I was gullible, I believed him," the woman said. "I should’ve known better but, I just, I overlooked it."

She recounted to WTXF how she defended Turner from criticism on Facebook in 2023, only to have a man claiming to be Turner contact her. After three weeks of the impostor allegedly harassing her, the woman relented and sent him money.

"He was relentless, but he’s convincing, he’s repeating things that I knew Trea Turner did on the ball field," she said.

Per WTXF, local police "are investigating the scam and working closely with federal partners."