A California retiree has become a repeat victim of pig butchering scams, a romance-based fraud scheme that exploits emotional connections to extract money from victims.
Adan Look, a retired San Francisco city gardener, first lost his $500,000 life savings when he met a woman named "Annie" on Facebook who claimed to have made millions investing in cryptocurrency. Annie promised they would build a dream home together in Hawaii. Look wired his savings to banks in Asia until the money ran out, only to discover both the investment and Annie were fabricated.
Shortly after the first scam depleted his savings, Look began communicating with a new online contact calling herself "Vicky," who claimed to be an Army combat medic stationed in Kuwait. Vicky soon requested money, initiating a similar pattern to the first scheme.
Bank of America blocked three separate wire transfer attempts by Look to send $2,000 each to a woman Vicky identified as a diplomat. Look subsequently sent $1,000 through Zelle and $1,000 in Apple gift cards. Vicky later requested approximately $45,000, claiming she needed to pay her commander for immediate discharge.
Look's son Jonathan became aware of his father's financial jeopardy when Look attempted to secure a $500,000 mortgage to fund Vicky's requests. "I called the loan officer and said, 'The guy's being scammed,'" Jonathan stated, though family members cannot legally intervene without the victim's consent.
Investigation by ABC7 News revealed that a photograph Vicky sent belonged to someone on an adult dating website using a different identity. The U.S. Army confirmed that the service member Vicky claimed to be does not exist.
Despite blocking Vicky, Look has begun communicating with another online contact named "Suzy," whom he believes is legitimate.
