Beware Of This New Scam In Florida That Can Cost You $50,000

Author Richie Ortiz

January 31st 10:25 AM

There are a lot of scams out there people know to steer clear of. Like the scheme with the fake Middle Eastern Prince. If he is emailing you about his fortune and needs your help with money, you might not want to answer. Or how about those random text messages you get about a random package you need to electronically sign for? If you haven’t ordered anything lately, it’s probably another scam to get your money. Now there’s a new scam people in Florida need to watch out for. This scam is so convincing, that it cost one Orlando man $50,000!

The Scam

The scam story begins in Central Florida with a man who received a random text from a random beautiful woman. The victim told News 6 that a woman who called herself “Lilli” started the conversation by sending photos and asking for photos of the victim. The relationship then escalated when “Lilli” started to tell the victim she wanted to live with him. This should have been the 1st red flag, but the victim decided to continue the relationship.

The relationship then turned from romance to a business opportunity when Lilli offered the victim a chance to earn $5,000 a day. The catch was the victim had to invest $50,000 in Ethereum, which is a form of cryptocurrency. This should have been red flag number 2, but the victim again decided to continue the relationship.

Since the victim was a retired Air Force Veteran, he thought the investment opportunity was a great idea. He planned to build his account with the Ethereum investment and then ride off into the sunset with his newfound love. Boy was he wrong. After the $50,000 was wired to 2 separate international banks, the victim lost touch with Lilli. He actually hasn’t heard from her since Veterans Day and is now likely out $50,000.

This victim isn’t the only person to get scammed in Florida. Turns out $29 million were lost in investment scams in 2023 in Florida alone. That’s just the statistics up until September! According to The Federal Trade Commission, $8.8 billion was lost to scams in 2022, with $3.8 billion of that specifically lost to investment schemes. If you or anyone you know has fallen victim to a scam, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or simply text the words Make Ends Meet to 407-676-7428.

Rich grew up in the Bronx, NY but moved to Tampa in 2006 to attend the University of Tampa. Even though he completed 4 years at the University for Sports Management, Ortiz realized his true passion for radio after taking a couple of classes to fulfill his communications minor and volunteering at UT's WUTT radio station as a sports director. Rich also worked at several clubs in Tampa as a host/promoter where he would meet and work alongside Davy Rolando, who would be the one who would help him get a job at WiLD 94.1. From there, Rich worked his way up from Promotions assistant to promotions coordinator, to eventually full-time on-air. Rich loves to write about his favorite Tampa food spots, concert reviews, and the WiLDest Florida man/woman stories.

9 New Scam Phone Numbers You MUST Block Immediately

Sick of picking up your phone only to discover it’s another scam call? Then blocking these 9 scam numbers can help immediately and bring you a sense of relief. A company called BeenVerified has report that over 150,000 suspicious phone numbers in the past two years and they’ve narrowed it down to these nine spam and scam numbers. These numbers also lead to hundreds of complaints or more. Most of the scam numbers also fire off scam text messages to trick unsuspecting victims into clicking links.

Scams going around Florida:

Another scam that’s going around right now is having a police officer offer call you claiming you missed federal jury duty. Good thing about this scam is you can easily Google the number to check your juror duty status. Make sure you ask several questions if someone is calling you saying this information. They might come off as knowledgeable, but you can trip them up if you know what you’re talking about.

Scams in Tampa, come in various forms and target many different individuals. It is important for you to be aware and protect yourself from thieves and finances. There’s been multiple scams reported in Florida recently including email scams, phone, home improvement, fake charity and even rental scams. The home improvement scams will be someone offering services to fix your roof, driveway, or landscaping at incredibly low prices. Usually, they want payment first and then either perform subpar work or completely disappear.

Make sure you protect yourself by being cautious. Don’t be so quick to share personal information, and always research before handing over your information. Make sure it’s a legit business and charity using reputable platforms for financial transactions. Additionally, if there is any suspicious activities, call your local law enforcement to notify them of new scams in Tampa.

SOURCE

#1 - (865) 630-4266 — WellsFargo Account Notice
This is the top scam that’s an automated text message warning victims that their Wells Fargo bank account had been temporarily locked. The scammers want you to call their fake number to give up their personal account information.

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
#2 - (858) 605-9622 — [Bank Account Number] 'Temporarily ON HOLD!'
This is very similar to the previous one where they will spam out a text message: ‘[Bank name]: ACCNT #5674 temporarily ON HOLD! Your security is our priority. Call now: (858) 605-9622 (Do Not Disregard!)’ They’re trying to scare you in order to see get personal information.

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#3 - (904) 495-2559 — 'AT&T Free Msg: Congrats to [number]!'
Look out for this text message ‘ATT Free Msg: Congrats to 2 lucky users! Today’s winners of our raffle are: Tim N***** and you, (Name)!’ These give false promises that you’ll get lottery cash and prizes.

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#4 - (805) 637-7243 — Congrats! Won Publisher's Clearing House!
These scammers claim to be from Publisher’s Clearing House. They claim that an unpaid bill may result in freezing of their assets.

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#5 - (469) 709-7630 — 'Failed delivery attempt for [tracking number].'
This scam will make you feel like something had genuinely gone wrong with a real shipment. They will you for the last two digits of your SSN for verification. Just get off the phone because it’s a scam.

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# 6 - (863) 532-7969 — 'Debit Card Frozen! Call!'
This one is betting on that fact that you have a debit card. They’ll say everything is frozen and need your information to correct it.

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#7 - (917) 540-7996 — 'Do you like scary movies?' marketing for 'Scream VI'
These complaints were filed from March 2023 in a scary voice message from the Scream movies from an unknown number. In the message it begins, ‘Is this [user’s name]? Oh good! It’s funny how you can see someone’s true character when they are alone. Or at least when they think they’re alone. I have one question for you, [user’s name]. Guess where I’m hiding?’

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# 8 - (312) 339-1227 — 'Lose weight!' or 'Track your package'
These scams are using weight-loss products for a delivery scam. Again, these scams are looking for and need your information.

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# 9 - (202) 221-7923 — 'Student loan forgiveness. Call Kelsey'
This phone messages will allegedly be from a ‘Kelsey Adams’ about a deadline for student-loan forgiveness. They need you to act or your deadline will be missed.

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