A Florida couple is trying to get back on their feet after falling victim to a sweepstakes scam. Merdine James, 74, and her husband, Fritz James, 87, were pushed into homelessness last year. It comes after a yearslong sweepstakes scam. James was set to retire, and the couple had one year left on their mortgage, according to TCPalm. A stock photo of an elderly couple. (Photo: Getty Images) The scam began in 2023. Atlanta Black Star obtained a police report from the Stuart Police Department, filed by a church volunteer. The report said the couple was notified that they had won the Jamaican lottery. Police noted that the couple is originally from Jamaica, so it wasn’t particularly suspicious to them at the time. ‘I’m About to Get Shot!’: Starbucks Defends Firing Two Baristas Who Fought Off Robbers After Terrifying Attack Caught on Camera ‘Giving This Guy a Paid Vacation’: Attorney Condemns Police Department for Keeping Cop Who Kneed Ohio Black Girl in Her Neck on Payroll TCPalm reported the scammer claimed to be with Publishers Clearing House. The caller, identifying herself as Susan Smith, said they had won a sweepstakes for $4 million, two cars and a truck. TCP reported that Fritz wanted to use the prize money to help his sister, who lives in California. The person on the phone told the Jameses they needed to pay the taxes on the winnings. She also reportedly told the couple to keep the payments confidential. The couple continued to send money to that person until Feb. 28, 2026. The caller got increasingly friendly, like asking Merdine if she remembered to take her medication or how her day was going. But the local outlet reported that when Merdine asked questions, the caller grew irate and yelled at her. That’s when Merdine began to suspect something was off. TCPalm reported the couple lost more than $141,000. The couple lost their house in July 2025, forcing them to stay in a hotel for several months. Their families blame them for their plight and have stopped helping them, according to Merdine. Federal investigators determined that many sweepstakes schemes like this originate in Jamaica. The National Sheriffs’ Association reported that 60,000 victims lost $38 million to Jamaica in just 2015. About half of the victims were over 70 years old. In one case, an elderly woman paid a Jamaican citizen more than $600,000, believing she had won a sweepstakes. Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, was arrested. He was accused of playing on her isolation to get her money. Kirstin Mikalauskas, a volunteer at St. Mary’s Kitchen, met the James when they came to the church for assistance. She helped the couple pay for their hotel as she worked to get the police involved. “They had no money and no place else to go,” Mikalauskas told police. Mikalauskas told police she notified DCF and the elder abuse hotline. She was also granted an “authorized representative designation” through DCF. “Merdine is stuck in a loop. Both mentally and in her reality, ” Mikalauskas told TCPalm. “She feels so much shame that she can’t let it go.” The designation allowed Mikalauskas to file a police report on behalf of the Jameses. Photos from TCPalm showed Mikalauskas going through old documents with the couple. You could see bags of wire-transfer receipts dated from 2023 to 2026. There was also a stack of Amazon gift cards the couple sent to “Susan Smith.” Adult Protective Services approved a grant for the couple to stay at a six-bedroom assisted living facility in Port St. Lucie until the end of March, the local outlet reported. But when the grant expired, and no word came from DCF, the facility owner offered to take whatever the couple could afford. The facility charges $3,600 per month, but the couple was able to pay only about $1,700, according to TCPalm. Atlanta Black Star reached out to Mikalauskas for more information, but hasn’t received a response. ‘No Place Else to Go’: Florida Couple Loses $141,000, House and Car in Yearslong Lottery Scam ...read more read less