The oldest veteran in America, 112, has been robbed of both his savings and his identity, according to family members.
Austin, Texas, resident Richard Overton, who also is the oldest man in the United States, served in World War II.
Using Overton's Social Security number, an unknown thief established a fake bank account in his name and was able to access Overton's personal checking account, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Over a period of months, the thief has steadily been draining Overton’s account of money to purchase savings bonds.
“This is going to be a setback for Richard,” Volna Overton, his third cousin, told the newspaper. “It was a significant amount of money.”
She said a friend filed a police report Friday for him.
Thankfully, Overton's bank account is separate from a GoFundMe account set up in his name in December 2016 for his care. That account has raised nearly $434,000 as of Monday afternoon.
What’s the secret of this 112-year-old World War II veteran’s long life? Overton maintains a 12-cigar-a-day habit supplemented with an occasional nip of whiskey and coke.
Overton served in the Pacific theater during the war, including Hawaii and the South Pacific, before moving to East Austin, which he has called home since 1945.
Folks on social media were understandably appalled, with a few playing armchair detective.