San Francisco retiree loses $500,000 in pork butcher scam, then falls for the same scam again

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — 7 On Your Side previously reported on a San Francisco retiree who lost his entire savings to a cruel scam known as “pig butchery.”

The man, a retired municipal gardener, was thinking of starting a new life with a new love. Instead, he lost $500,000.

We now know that he immediately fell for the same scam again.

This time, 7 On Your Side stepped in to stop him.

No sooner had he lost everything in the first scam than this retiree started chatting online with another person claiming to be his true love. He ignored warnings from his friends and family, so our team showed him proof that his new love was a scammer.

PREVIOUS STORY: SF retiree loses $500,000 in savings to pork butcher scam despite warnings from family and friends

“It’s her. It’s her picture,” Adan Look said.

Look is sure that this time he found true love with a woman he met online: “Vicky”.

“She’s my queen. I’m her king,” Look said.

Vicky told Look she was an Army combat medic based in Kuwait. They can be together once she is released in four years.

“She wants to be with me, to be my caretaker,” Look said.

“I was like, ‘Not yet.’ I couldn’t believe he would immediately fall back into something,” said Jonathan Look, Adan’s son.

For his son Jonathan, it was not a romance. It was another scam, like last year. That’s when we first met Adan.

He had just lost everything in an online romance scam.

“I was head over heels, almost out of control,” Look said.

He was made to believe that he was starting a new life with a young woman he met on Facebook: “Annie”.

Annie told him she had made millions investing in cryptocurrency. He could too. Together, they would earn enough to build a dream home in Hawaii.

So Look began moving its money to banks in Asia, ignoring any warnings.

“Suddenly we were all enemies. ‘This isn’t a scam. Leave,'” Jonathan said.

Until Adan Look ran out of money and realized crypto investing was wrong. Annie too.

Half a million dollars was missing.

“I had to come back down to Earth. I’m back to Earth now,” Look said.

Or was he?

“I just want you to understand baby, nothing can tear us apart,” Vicky texted Look.

Right after losing everything, he met “Vicky”, the so-called army doctor.

“Your sweet words make me melt,” Vicky texted Look.

They have been talking since February.

She sent him photos. He enlarged the images to poster size.

“I think she’s a very pretty woman,” Look said.

He believes this time it’s real, not like Annie.

“I have a picture of her showing she’s in the military. It wasn’t photoshopped,” Look said.

Soon Vicky started asking for money.

She needed an iPhone.

His mother suffered from a brain disease.

His son needed an iPad.

“I sent him a little bit, but nothing like the other person, you know,” Look said.

Look told Vicky that he had just been scammed.

“So I said, ‘I don’t have any money. The other crook took it all,'” Look said.

“I will help you get back on your feet,” Vicky wrote.

But she insisted on knowing more.

“I was seeing suspicious transactions involving gift cards worth a thousand dollars,” Jonathan said.

Look tried three times to wire $2,000 to someone named “Priscilla.” Vicky said she was diplomatic.

Fortunately, Bank of America reported the account and blocked each transfer.

So Look sent $1,000 via Zelle and $1,000 in Apple gift cards.

“I actually called a bunch of Apple stores and was like, ‘Hey, so-and-so is going to come in and buy some gift cards real soon. Please stop it. He’s getting ripped off,’” Jonathan said.

Then Vicky said she could pay her commander to have him released immediately.

Look jumped at the chance and texted, “How much do you need?”

She replied, “About $45,000.”

He wrote: “Wow. Extortion. »

But he tried to find money and risked losing his house.

“He had already gotten pre-approved for a $500,000 mortgage. So, I called the loan officer. I was like, ‘This guy got scammed,'” Jonathan said.

“So they try to smear it. Smear it,” Look said. “How can you say bad things about someone who serves in our military and helps our combat medics? I think that’s wrong.”

During an interview with 7 On Your Side, Look pointed out the proof that Vicky was real.

“You’re looking at it right now. The flower arrangement came from her,” Look said.

Indeed, fresh flowers were delivered by Vicky.

“I can’t wait to be with you in your arms. I will never let you down, my king,” the note read.

But did she really send them? We called the owner, Fred Tabar, of Fillmore Florist.

“He or she placed an order on our website and used a stolen credit card. After delivery, we discover the card was stolen,” Tabar said.

“I don’t know anymore. She says she has nothing to hide. Everything seems fishy,” Look said. “I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

“The fact is, this person lied to you repeatedly,” said Stephanie Sierra of 7 On Your Side.

So, 7 On Your Side caught up with Look, as well as scam investigator Erin West of Operation Shamrock.

“We’re trying to help you understand some of these red flags,” Sierra said.

“Whatever you found out, I’d like to know,” Look said.

“Nowadays, there is technology that helps people identify whether, you know, images are real or fake,” Sierra said.

“Yeah, I wish I knew today,” Look said.

So we got a photo of herself sent by Vicky.

“It’s really her, isn’t it? Do you guys know that?” Look, said.

We performed a reverse image search. This exact photo appeared. It was someone on an adult dating site under another name.

“So it doesn’t seem authentic,” Sierra said.

“It’s fake. OK,” Look said.

“Vicky claimed to you that she was an Army combat medic based in Kuwait,” Sierra said.

“Good, good. I’d like to know the truth about that,” Look said.

“Well, we’ve contacted the military. And they say we’re extremely confident that the alleged service member with that name doesn’t exist,” Sierra said.

It was the truth he feared.

“I’m a target. That’s what I see,” Look said.

“So I want to tell you: I went to Nigeria because I wanted to understand this. And I met men who are doing this,” West said.

West showed Look a video of alleged scammers in Nigeria.

“He’s been talking to someone like you for six months,” West told Look.

“And they use scripts and buy images,” she said. “I want you to know that there are some really bad people trying to steal from you, aren’t there?”

“Yeah. Wrong. Everything is wrong,” Look said.

She urged him to interrupt Vicky.

“I’m going to confront her. I’m going to confront her,” Look said.

“Just say, ‘Vicky, do you know what happened yesterday? 7 On Your Side came to my house and they showed me a document saying you don’t exist. It’s right here,'” West said.

Look, I was right.

“I’m just going to say she’s not real,” Look said.

He texted Vicky: “You’re not really you.”

The scammer replied, “I knew you would tell them our business.” Now you let them into your mind! »

“You got this!” » West said.

Look, Vicky has been blocked, but is he safe from future scams? It turns out not.

“This is Suzy. So she’s saying goodnight to you,” Look said.

He has already met “Suzy”. He thinks she’s real.

“Have a good night. I hope you sleep well. Sweet dreams, honey. Have a good night. I hope you sleep well. Sweet dreams, honey,” “Suzy” said in a video.

“I feel good, but sad. The information is powerful. You’ve given me a lot of information. I appreciate that,” Look said.

Pig killing scammers prey on those who are lonely or looking for love. They maintain a long relationship so victims develop very real feelings for a person who doesn’t exist. That’s a big part of the grief.

Unfortunately, Look and his son remain torn by these scams. What is clear is that there is little anyone can do to stop a loved one from transferring money to fraudsters. The laws do not allow family members to intervene without the victim’s permission.

Jonathan says he used our previous story to convince banks and even Apple stores to stop giving Look money to scammers.

Take a look at more stories and videos from 7 On Your Side.

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