Scottsdale couple left devastated after they were scammed while trying to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - An elderly Scottsdale couple lost their savings when they tried to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Prettymans are in their early 80s and they want other senior citizens to learn from this story. They're not the most tech-savvy, and in this case, they lost thousands of dollars in a matter of hours.

"It was frustrating that I had been trying for a month to get a reservation for -- or an appointment, rather, for a vaccine in the first place," said Faith Prettyman.

Faith thought she had a chance to make her COVID-19 vaccine appointment last week, but instead, she says a pop-up appeared on her computer, claiming she got hacked. A phone number also appeared with a message from Microsoft.

"So of course, I dial that phone number and I got a gentleman that, well, I guess I should change that he certainly wasn't a gentleman," said Prettyman.

Faith says the man told her to go to the bank, saying her personal information was now stolen, and that she has to buy gift cards to fix it.

"So she went and did that, and she purchased nine $500 gift cards from the U.S. Post Office," said family friend Sydnie Cadenas.

Cadenas says making those purchases drained the couple's account of $4,500, a critical blow to their finances. It was also something Faith never thought would happen to her.

"That someone could take advantage of you so easily," said Prettyman.

Ultimately, Cadenas did help the Prettymans make vaccine appointments.

The Prettymans filed a report with Scottsdale Police. FOX 10 reached out to the Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau to see if similar cases have been reported, but we have yet to hear back.