Las Vegas realtor scams 90-year-old widower out of $638,223.56

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• Realtor Befriends Elderly Man and steals over $600 …

Realtor Befriends Elderly Man and steals over $600,000

It’s heartbreaking to hear stories of elderly people being conned out of their life savings. When I read about this incident, it hit close to home because my mom and dad live in Las Vegas.

Cornelius “Connie” Hoffmans was a 90-year-old widower and dementia patient living his final years in Las Vegas. His entire world, and that of his family was turned upside when he met Sophie Smith.

Sophie Smith, a 51-year-old award-winning real estate agent tricked Hoffmans into thinking they were in a romantic relationship to scam him out of $638,223.56. Hoffmans believed the two were dating even though Smith is openly gay.

Sophie convinced Cornelius to donate to her non-profit, the Strong A.R.M. Foundation. She stated the money was going to underprivileged women and children to buy equipment and uniforms while 90% of it actually went to fund her gambling addiction, house, and an RV. She said the gambling debts got to be too much, and she had no choice but to deceive Cornelius.

This would have gone even further if the family of Cornelius didn’t get involved. Once the family found out about the scam, they were able to take over the estate and bring Smith to justice. The judge sentenced Smith to jail and ordered her to pay $390,000 in restitution.

USAA did a study in 2023 and they estimate that over 70% of scams are instigated by people we know. While we don’t want to live our lives as hermits, it’s always a challenge to know who to trust.

There’s no easy answer on how to avoid this scam other than educating yourself on the signs of a scam and being mindful of new people who enter your life and seem too good to be true.