help our Atwater Village neighbor after devastating theft

Hi Atwater Village -

We're writing this on behalf of our neighbor, Eva, who was targeted by scammers who stole $10,000 in cash from her.

On Monday April 7, 2025 around 3:30pm, Eva was followed home from the Wells Fargo bank on Los Feliz Blvd. She was parking in her driveway when a woman, dressed in scrubs, gestured for her to stop and told Eva she had a flat tire. Eva exited her car, leaving the drivers door open, and met the woman behind the car where she saw there were a bunch of push pins scattered on the ground behind her tire. She later discovered the woman had deliberately scattered the pins to create a distraction while the theft occurred. Eva was not aware that there were two men watching, and when Eva had her back turned to pick up the pins, one of the men ran to the open car door and stole the envelope of cash out of her purse. Our gardener witnessed the man enter the car and run away, and we have video footage of the incident from a home camera across the street. The woman in scrubs and her two male accomplices got into a getaway vehicle (a white 2024 Toyota Crown) before Eva could realize what happened. This was a well-coordinated scam.

Needless to say, Eva is devastated. She is the full-time caretaker for her husband, Richard, who has advanced Alzheimer's, and had taken out the money to pay for upcoming medical expenses. She's a longtime resident of the neighborhood and a lovely, friendly neighbor.

A group of neighbors are starting this GoFundMe to help Eva and Richard recover from this devastating loss and traumatic event. The police took a report and are investigating the crime but there are no guarantees that Eva will ever get her money back. Statistically, stolen cash is rarely returned. If it is ever returned, it will take a long time. Living off of social security and savings, with urgent medical expenses, they cannot afford to wait. Eva was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time - this could have happened to any of us in the neighborhood. We would love if you could consider making a contribution to help her recover from this loss.

Thank you in advance.

From neighbors Eloise, Daniel, Tim, Siena, Patrick, Cat & Jay