Elderly Woman Believed Elon Musk Cared for Her and Gave Him Over $50,000, Says Family Member | Carscoops

      Scams associated with the world's wealthiest individual are alarmingly common.

      A Reddit user has reported that their mother fell victim to a scam, losing between $50,000 and $75,000. The elderly woman allegedly thought she was sending money to Elon Musk.

      Scams involving the billionaire are widespread across the internet.

      Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet, is in a position where he can confidently say he doesn't require any more money. However, this has not deterred the internet from being inundated with scams that exploit his name, image, and fame.

      Recently, a woman in Washington became the latest victim, having lost a substantial amount of money to someone impersonating the tech mogul. Her child took to Reddit for advice after learning that she had sent between $50,000 and $75,000 to someone she believed was the Tesla CEO.

      Initially posting on R/legaladvice and later on R/Scams as suggested by other users, the individual detailed that their mother had been in contact with someone impersonating Musk, who convinced her to transfer money through Apple Gift Cards and cryptocurrency. She had come to believe that Musk was secretly in love with her and planned to take her to a private island in the near future.

      In their post, they mentioned, “My mom is 80 years old, and I recently discovered numerous unpaid bills, including a $28,000 mortgage on a house that was previously paid off.”

      The post revealed that a letter from the mortgage lender, Shellpoint, indicated that she hadn't made payments in ten months and was on the verge of foreclosure. “I paid $2,555 to bring it up to date, but she still owes several other companies thousands,” they added.

      The Role of Technology in Fraud

      Unfortunately, this type of scam is exceedingly common online. In a similar case covered by Fox 4, a Florida man was jailed ten months ago for allegedly scamming a Texas woman out of $600,000 by impersonating Musk. The scammer had convinced the woman that her investment would yield a return of $55 million. Numerous similar schemes continue to circulate on the internet.

      Technological advancements, including deep fake technology and artificial intelligence, have made it easier to create convincing videos of Musk saying whatever scammers desire. CBS Texas reports that scams connected to Elon Musk result in billions of dollars lost each year.

      In the Washington case, commenters advised the Reddit user to reach out to Adult Protective Services and consult a lawyer to safeguard their mother's home and finances. We have contacted them for more information and will update this story if we receive further details.