SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A brutal scam known as pig butchering has stolen the life savings of yet another Bay Area resident. This time, a San Francisco retiree thought he was starting a new life with a new love. Instead, he lost more than half a million dollars.
This case was especially heartwrenching because his friends and loved ones knew he was being scammed and tried for months to warn him. They alerted every law enforcement agency they could find. But nothing would stop him from sending all his money to the scammers.
Adan Look of San Francisco was packed and ready to fly off to a new life.
He’d be joining the young woman he met on Facebook. Together, they’d build their dream home in Hawaii.
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Her name was Anissa. He called her Annie. They’d been chatting on WhatsApp since last May.
Annie said she was from Japan, working in microchip sales. Her family had made millions.
“She started sending me pictures. One was in a robe. I said that’s enough,” Look said.
He told her he was alone, his wife in a nursing home.
“I told her there’s nobody here to cook for me. It’s just me, you know. She assured me, ‘Well, you know, I’ll be doing the cooking for you. I’ll be the one that helps you get out of bed,'” Look said.
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Annie wrote: “Honey, you’re not alone, I’m here.”
“I was head over heels, pretty much out of control, ready to do anything,” Look said.
She promised to visit and even sent flight information. Yet, she never came.
“And then, she says she was into crypto,” Look said.
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Annie told him she’d made millions investing in cryptocurrency and he could too. They’d make enough to build a life together in Hawaii.
“I was very ready to fly. I was ready to go. I’m gonna start a new life with this person.” Look said.
Look’s son Jonathan, of Hayward, saw signs of trouble.
“I didn’t know what had happened to my dad. It was kind of this, like he flipped a switch,” Jonathan said. “I found some images of a woman, Asian woman, like some things about investing,” Jonathan said.
He saw the text messages about love and investing. He confronted his dad.
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“You’re a married man. What is this, I don’t know, 20-something-year-old woman?” Jonathan said.
“I wasn’t paying no attention to those (comments). Too immersed in my bubble,” Look said.
Then Jonathan discovered a $300,000 wire transfer — supposedly to a kitchen remodeling company — and a deposit into an unknown account.
“Immediately, I flipped to red flags everywhere,” Jonathan said.
Later, he discovered his dad also wired thousands of dollars directly to banks in Malaysia and Vietnam — first $5,000, then $100,000, then another $100,000.
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“He told me he was investing and that, not to worry. Essentially like, ‘I’ve got this. I’m investing. It’s my money.’ Like, ‘I trust her,”’ Jonathan said.
Look reminded Jonathan he volunteers at the Institute on Aging of San Francisco, playing piano for seniors, and ironically, manning a hotline to help them combat loneliness — and scams. So he’d recognize a con if he saw one.
But Jonathan was worried. He warned his dad that these crypto websites he was using appeared to be fake, so the $6 million in his account wasn’t really there. Annie herself probably didn’t exist.
Jonathan texted: “Dad, your friends and I need to talk about the romance scam you are a victim of.”
Look replied: “No I’m good Jonathan, my choice, my life… ready to run away from everyone.”
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“Suddenly, we were all the enemies. Like, ‘No, she’s not a scammer. You’re being toxic. Get away from me.’ It was very hurtful,” Jonathan said.
“Oh, I got defensive. Very defensive. I was almost ready to turn on my friends,” Look said.
Jonathan alerted the FBI, local police, the Secret Service, his lawyer, the banks, Adult Protective Services — and the Institute on Aging.
No one could stop Look from wiring away his money — until last month.
He tried to pull out the “$6 million” supposedly sitting in his crypto account. Annie said he’d have to pay $25,000 to unlock it. But he had no money left.
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“The bubble popped, right? Eventually bubbles will pop,” Look said.
He realized he’d been scammed.
After months of bitterness, father and son reunited. They traced the scheme, the lost money, with little hope of getting any of it back.
Jonathan: “Then you wired $5,000, then $100,000. What did she tell you this was for? What did you think you were doing?”
Look: “I thought we were pooling it.”
“For the record, I got no bad feelings toward Jonathan, just the opposite. I’m grateful, son.. (beginning to sob) I mean that,” said Adan. “I had to go down, back to Earth. I’m back to Earth now.”
After he realized he’d been scammed, Look contacted 7 On Your Side, asking if we would listen to his story and tell it to the world. He’s not alone. We have heard from several victims of pig butchering — scammers luring victims with the promise of love, and a life of riches.
Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.
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