INDIANAPOLIS — A new, elaborate social media scam is emptying bank accounts in Central Indiana.
It’s an investment scam that typically starts on Instagram, but in a new twist, the scammers are forcing their victims to make hostage-style videos.
Yvonne Rodriguez of Indianapolis uses Instagram to keep in touch with friends, and she considers herself fairly savvy when it comes to spotting scams.
“I’ve received messages before, and I’m like ‘uh, I’m not responding to that,’” said Rodriguez.
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When she received a friend request from a woman she was already friends with, Rodriguez was skeptical.
“I shared the profile with her and I said ‘is this you?” said Rodriguez. “And the response was like ‘I’m so sorry, someone hacked into my account.’”
The friend shared several videos of herself saying she had invested in Bitcoin with an investor named David and made a huge profit.
“She said it was real and I should invest in him as well,” said Rodriguez. “She also showed me a picture of her legs with stacks of money on her legs.”
Rodriguez reached out to the investor and spoke with him on the phone via WhatsApp.
“He was telling me what to expect, how much to invest, and giving me some sense of peace of mind that I was investing with someone who was real,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez sent the investor $500 who showed her a website reflecting a $5,000 profit.
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