CHARLOTTE — A woman tells Action 9 that her elderly mother had more than $600,000 in savings, but it was all taken as part of an AI romance scam.
She says her mother fell in love with someone online who claimed to be the face of Tesla and SpaceX: Elon Musk.
The scammer used artificial intelligence to make it even more believable.
“I have seen texts on her phone that say, ‘Hey baby, how are you? What are you doing tonight baby?’” the daughter explained. “They hear that voice. They hear Elon Musk’s voice and they know it’s his voice.”
She says at first, there were wire transfers, huge amounts of money going out, at least one topping $100,000.
Her mother believed she was investing that money, the woman told Action 9. That turned into daily ATM withdrawals of $3,000, much of the cash spent on gift cards for the scammers.
In less than a year, her life savings was wiped out.
“It’s like you want to walk out of your house and scream or cry. It’s so frustrating,” she added.
The Better Business Bureau says romance is a popular hook for scams.
“You may have entered into the dating scene or dating app looking for love, but scammers are out there looking for their next victim,” the Better Business Bureau’s Holly Salmon said. “Especially if this is not why you came to the dating app, right? Most people did not come to a dating app for investment advice.”
Romance scam red flags:
- You never meet in person.
- The person wants your money to invest.
- The person wants your money so you can be together (either for a flight to you or for a health expense that’s pressing).
If you fall victim, make sure you https://www.justice.gov/action-center/report-crime-or-submit-complaint https://www.ftc.gov/media/71268, the Federal Trade Commission, and the social media platform right away.
But, unfortunately, it’s rare Action 9 sees a victim get his or her money returned.
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