Sioux Falls Man Loses $60,000 In Scam Nightmare

Getting scammed out of thousands of dollars would put a serious damper on anyone’s holiday spirit. Losing that kind of money is more than enough to make even the most cheerful person mutter a heartfelt “bah, humbug.”

Unfortunately, that’s exactly the situation one Sioux Falls man found himself in just days before the holidays.

Dakota News Now reports that a 66-year-old Sioux Falls resident lost approximately $60,000 after falling victim to a long-running online scam. The man reported the incident to police on Friday, December 12, after finally realizing the too-good-to-be-true situation was never going to deliver its promised Christmas miracle.

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According to the police report, the victim had been communicating with a woman through a messaging app since May. Over several months, the two developed what the victim believed to be a genuine relationship. The man, who is also a recent cancer patient, was told by the woman that she wanted to help him financially by donating $3 million to him, supposedly via a gift card sent in a package through the mail.

But instead of holiday cheer and good tidings, the man was met with a series of requests. The woman claimed the package couldn’t be shipped unless he first sent money to “release” it. Like a Grinch slowly stealing Christmas one card at a time, she asked for various amounts over several months. In just the past week alone, the victim sent her $7,000.

By the time the man was informed that the package wasn’t coming at all, he had sent roughly $60,000 total! Most of the payments were made by purchasing Apple gift cards and sending photos of the codes on the back of the cards to the suspect.

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Authorities are using this case as a reminder to the public: no legitimate person or organization will ever ask for payment in gift cards. If someone you don’t know requests money, especially through prepaid cards or messaging apps, it’s a scam.

Do not fall victim to a scamming scrooge!

If you or someone you know encounters a similar situation, contact police immediately. This holiday season, the best gift you can give yourself is staying informed and keeping your hard-earned money safely under your own tree, free from all the would-be Grinches looking to get their hands on it.