After a Marine veteran from Oceanside lost nearly $35,000 to an elaborate phone scam , the community came together to help him out in a big way.

“I was in tears last time. But now if I have tears, they’re going to be happy tears," Tom Eberhardt said.

Eberhardt is grateful for the support he’s received from the community since first sharing his story. The 76-year-old was scammed on his birthday.

“It restored a lot of faith in humanity. It really did. People are really good," Eberhardt said. "I was just simply blown away about the giving and the love that people gave towards me."

His daughter Amanda set up a fundraising account to help him get back on his feet. Because of former classmates, friends he made while stationed in Washington, D.C., strangers and generous donors, Eberhardt ha

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