A 75-year-old pensioner has shared the heartbreaking text messages that cost him his entire $715,000 life savings.
The man, who did not want to be named, told his horror story in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Scams that pay off are typically elaborate, and this one was certainly no different.
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The scam actually began over a year ago in May 2023, when a scammer posing as a lonely but successfully 37-year-old Chinese woman living in San Francisco messaged the man on LinkedIn and said she thought his profile was impressive.
They initially bonded over their love of food, travel, fitness and pets.
"We will be very happy in the future... I really thank God for letting me meet you," she promised the pensioner.
Once they had made that initial connection, the scammer started telling the man about her 'uncle's' company which she made a small fortune on.
And over the course of several months, she managed to convince the man to transfer over his entire life savings - a staggering $715,000 - into a fake trading return.
The man was promised they would marry and live together using the returns on his investment.
The scammer kept on telling the man to 'trust me' and when he did ever question her, she guilt-tripped him.
For example, one particular text message read: "Your distrust of me once again made me feel the fickleness of men."
Another message from her reads: "I think all my good intentions and sincerity has been let down. I just want to complete our future goals and plans."
But once he had sent over his massive fortune, he never heard from the woman again and his money was gone.
After a heartbreaking series of unanswered texts, the last he heard from her was a text in September saying she didn't 'want to have anything to do' with him anymore, adding that his 'mind is horrible'.
The 75-year-old is the latest to be targeted in so-called pig butchering scams taking place across the US.
The scam seems complete strangers seduce vulnerable and lonely people online, ultimately building their trust before taking every penny in their bank account.
The pensioner accepts that he won't get his money back now and was the victim of a scam.
He had reported his case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, who will review it and decide whether to forward it to the relevant law enforcement or regulatory bodies.
Callum Jones