72-year-old widow loses $1.05 million to pig butchering scam on dating app in 2023
Summary
Erika DeMask, a widow from Lombard, Illinois, lost over $1 million in a "pig butchering" scam. The scam involved an online romance where the scammer, posing as a man working on an oil rig, gained her trust before asking for money. Over several months, DeMask sent $20,000, then $35,000 twice, and eventually matched a claimed $250,000 investment. The scam occurred in 2023, and DeMask now faces financial ruin, having to sell her home and only having $400 left. Pig butchering scams are a growing problem, with over $3.5 billion in reported losses in the U.S. in 2023, affecting around 40,000 victims.
Incident Details
Who Was Affected
Sources
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