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Thieves drain bank account of 112-year-old veteran

Richard Overton is acknowledged by former U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony to honor veterans at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Veterans Day in 2013. Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

Someone obtained the personal information of Richard Overton, a Texas resident who’s believed to be the oldest man in the United States, and used it to drain his bank account.

Overton’s family says Social Security and banking account numbers for the 112-year-old Austin man were used to make seven withdrawals over the past several months.

WATCH: The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died.

Click to play video: 'The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died.'
The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died.

Cousin Volma Overton declined to say how much was stolen but said it was a “significant amount of money.” He says the money was used to purchase savings bonds. A police report was filed Friday.

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The money was separate from a 2015 online campaign that raised more than $300,000 for Overton, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran who was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack.

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The fundraiser provided around-the-clock, in-home care for Overton, who has faced numerous bouts of pneumonia.

The supercentenarian is known for his love of Tampa Sweet cigars (he says he never inhales the smoke), whiskey, coffee and Dr. Pepper.

-With a file from Global News

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