Illinois woman loses $1 million to pig butchering scam via cashier’s checks and wire transfers through Fifth Third Bank
Summary
An Illinois woman, Erika DeMask, lost nearly $1 million to a "pig butchering" scam over several months. The scam involved a man she met online who gained her trust before convincing her to send large sums of money for investments. DeMask was forced to sell her home in Lombard, Illinois, and her belongings to cover her financial losses. The FBI estimates these scams cost Americans nearly $4 billion in 2023. DeMask sent money via cashier’s checks and wire transfers through Fifth Third Bank, which stated it followed proper procedures and did not flag the transactions as fraudulent. Authorities were unable to recover the lost funds, and DeMask now faces financial ruin and the emotional toll of losing personal items and family memories.
Incident Details
Who Was Affected
Sources
1This incident is documented by a single source. Source count reflects coverage in our monitored feeds, not the totality of reporting, and we do not evaluate publication quality.