CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Cheatham County man is out $20,000 after he fell victim to a relentless scammer.    

“I couldn’t go Christmas shopping, I couldn’t do nothing, it was pretty stressful,” Randy Thompson said. 

A few days before Christmas, Thompson received a phone call from a number that appeared to be his electric company.   

“They said they were going to try and lower my electric bill and that it has been 35% more than it should have been,” Thompson said 

However, in order to lower his monthly costs, the scammers claimed they needed Thompson’s bank account number.    

He said he didn’t think much of their request until a few days later when he received another phone call that appeared to be from his bank. The scammer this time pretended to be the fraud department, requesting more information.   

“I thought it was legit, everything looked legit,” Thompson said.   

Thompson is now out $20,000. Some of those purchases were traced back to an auto shop overseas.   

“That’s money I saved up. I didn’t even have life insurance because I had enough money to bury me,” Thompson said.   

The tough part is now catching these scammers.  

“Yeah, they are very difficult to make contact with, the scammers are using local numbers somehow. They are using local numbers that you might recognize,” Cheatham County Sheriff Tim Binkley said. 

That is exactly what happened to Thompson. However, he hopes by sharing his story no one else falls victim.   

“I had to get a new checking, a new card and I had to wait for all that before I could go Christmas shopping, and I tell you what, I was so mad. I was shaking mad,” Thompson said.   

The good news is Thompson told News 2 his bank is working with him to get his money back. 

The sheriff’s office reminds you to contact law enforcement if anyone calls and asks for your personal information.