By Agrippina Fadel
Doris and Barry Bauman lost $99,000 of their life’s savings in one day after falling victim to an international email scam tracked to Hong Kong.
Their daughter, Tamarac resident Sonja Bauman started a GoFundMe campaign to help her parents, who are now considering selling their cars and the house they have lived in since the 1980s.
So far, the campaign has raised $360 out of the $20K goal.
“You hear about these stories of people getting scammed online all the time, but you never think it can happen to your family. My parents are great, hard-working people, and they were victimized by criminals. If anyone deserves a little help in this kind of situation, it is them. They lost everything,” said Sonja.
A Tamarac resident and Coconut Creek High School graduate, Sonja grew up in Margate in a little duplex near Southgate and 441, where her parents still reside. She is a part-time caregiver for the elderly and a mom to a seven-year-old child with autism.
Barry started a small upholstery supply company 42 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, where he had a few warehouses. He did most work over the phone, with Doris helping him as a secretary. Although retired, they are still taking care of a few clients. The money in their savings account at Truist that criminals gained access to were all the funds the couple had put together over the years.
“My dad is disabled. He is in his mid-70s, and my mom is about to turn 69. I hope to get the word out and help…
