Northern California Retiree Loses $500,000 to Scam Twice
A retired San Francisco city gardener lost $500,000 in an online romance-linked cryptocurrency scam, then began sending money to someone using a new identity…
San Francisco retiree Adan Look lost $500,000 in an online romance and cryptocurrency scam, then began sending money to another person he believed was a new love. His son and the 7 On Your Side team intervened after the second contact prompted suspicious transfers and a plan to borrow against his home.
The case shows how a person who has already suffered a major loss can be targeted again through a fresh online identity. Bank of America blocked three attempted wire transfers, but Look later sent money through Zelle and Apple gift cards, according to reporting by ABC7 Chicago.
Northern California retiree loses money again
Look, a retired city gardener, first lost his savings to someone he met on Facebook who called herself “Annie.” She told him she had made millions investing in cryptocurrency and said they could build a dream home in Hawaii. Look began wiring money to banks in Asia, despite warnings from friends and family.
“I was head over heels, pretty much out of control,” Look said in the ABC7 report. He realized the investment was fake after he ran out of money. The person he knew as Annie was also using a false identity, the report said.
He soon began chatting with someone calling herself “Vicky,” who claimed she was an Army combat medic based in Kuwait. She told Look they could be together after she left her post, which she said would take four years. Look believed the relationship was genuine and said she wanted to be his caretaker.
His son, Jonathan Look, saw the new contact as another scam. “I was like, 'Not again.' I couldn't believe he'd fall right straight back into something,” he said.
Transfers and a proposed loan raised concern
Vicky said she was a diplomat named “Priscilla” when Look tried three times to wire $2,000. Bank of America flagged the account and blocked each transfer, according to ABC7. Look then sent $1,000 through Zelle and $1,000 in Apple gift cards.
Jonathan Look said he noticed suspicious transactions involving gift cards worth about a thousand dollars. He also called Apple stores to warn staff that his father might come in to buy gift cards and was being scammed.
The requests escalated. Vicky told Look she could pay off her commander to secure an immediate discharge. Look asked how much she needed and began looking for money, putting his home at risk, his son said.
“He was already preapproved for a mortgage loan at $500,000. So, I called the loan officer. I was like, 'The guy's being scammed,'” Jonathan Look said.
That intervention matters because the scheme had moved beyond money already sent: Look was considering borrowing against his home to fund the relationship. His son and the news team showed him evidence they believed linked the new contact to a scam, but Look remained convinced the woman was real. “So they're trying to smear her. Smear her,” he said.
Look told ABC7 he had sent Vicky only a little money compared with the first scam. The report also said she had promised, “I will help you get back to your feet.”
ABC7’s account describes how the second round involved blocked wire transfers, payments through Zelle and gift cards, and a proposed mortgage loan of $500,000.
Source: abc7chicago.com
