San Francisco gardener Adan Look lost ₹4.7cr to pig butchering
A retired city gardener in San Francisco, Adan Look, lost ₹4.7 crore to two online scams known as "pig butchering."
First, a scammer pretending to be a Japanese microchip salesperson from a wealthy family named "Annie" convinced him to wire money to banks in Malaysia and Vietnam and sent $300,000 to a supposed kitchen-remodeling company.
Even after warnings from his son, Look believed he could cash out millions, until he hit a wall with an extra $25,000 fee he couldn't afford.
Scammer 'Vicky' posed as Kuwait medic
After that first loss, another scammer called "Vicky" posed as an Army combat medic, stationed in Kuwait, and asked for "an iPhone, an iPad, and money for her mother's treatment" and later "$45,000 to buy her discharge."
Although the bank blocked some transfers, Look kept finding ways around it.
His son Jonathan did everything he could, alerting banks and stores, but without his dad's consent, there wasn't much more he could do.
As Jonathan put it, family members cannot legally step in without the victim's permission.