A 75-year-old man lost all his money to a scammer who called him on the phone. The man doesn't want to give his name, but he talked to The Wall Street Journal about what happened.
The scammer tricked him and took all his savings, which made him very sad.
The scam began over a year ago when the pensioner received a message on LinkedIn from someone claiming to be a 37-year-old Chinese woman living in San Francisco.
The scammer initially portrayed herself as a lonely individual who found the man's profile impressive. They quickly connected, bonding over shared interests in food, travel, fitness, and pets.
As the relationship progressed, the scammer introduced the man to her "uncle's" company, claiming she had made a significant fortune through its investments.
For several months, she convinced the man to transfer his entire life savings, a substantial amount of $715,000, into a fake trading account.
The promise of marriage and a shared future using the returns on his investment further enticed the man to comply.
She would make him feel guilty whenever he had doubts or worries, making him think he was causing problems in their relationship.
Sadly, after the man gave her his money, the scammer disappeared and he couldn't find a way to talk to her or get his money back.
It's a very sad situation for him because he has no hope of getting his money back.
The man shared some of the text messages he received from the scammer, which further highlight the emotional manipulation he endured.
In one message, she expressed disappointment in his lack of trust, stating that it made her question men's loyalty.
Another message conveyed her frustration at feeling let down despite her good intentions and sincerity.
The man tried to contact the scammer, but she didn't reply to his messages.
The only message he got in September was from her, saying she didn't want anything to do with him anymore and saying bad things about him.
It was at that moment he understood that he had been tricked by a cruel scam. This type of scam is called a "pig butchering" scam, where scammers trick vulnerable people and take all their money from their bank accounts.
The pensioner has accepted that he will likely never recover his money and has reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Authorities will review his case and decide whether to pursue it further.
