A man in Missouri was scammed out of $120,000 by someone he met on TikTok, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office reports. The scammer built a romantic relationship with the victim over several months before taking his money.
Police say the 61-year-old victim connected with the suspect on TikTok, who pretended to be a 34-year-old woman named Lisa and claimed to be a housekeeper. The victim had initially dismissed a message from the suspect last year, but responded in March, thinking they were building a real connection.
The person running the TikTok account then persuaded the man to continue their conversation on Telegram, a private messaging app frequently used by scammers to hide their activity.
The person pretending to be someone else initially requested small amounts of money for things like gas and car repairs, then started asking for much larger sums. When the victim’s CashApp stopped working, “Lisa” asked him to send money using cryptocurrency instead.
According to the sheriff’s office, the victim used Bitcoin ATMs in the area to send money. She then said she needed assistance with paying overdue taxes on her mother’s home, which resulted in the biggest financial loss she experienced.
Once the man explained what happened, his daughter immediately realized it was a scam and reported it to the police.
Sheriff’s office issues warning to other TikTok users
According to Sarah Boyd, the public relations manager for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, this case perfectly fits the pattern of a typical romance scam.
According to Boyd, these relationships become emotionally charged for the victim. It feels like a genuine connection, not just a business arrangement, even if they’ve never actually met the person they’re interacting with. They develop real feelings for them.
Authorities think the person behind this scam is probably located outside the country, which makes getting the money back very challenging. To help prevent this from happening again, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is putting up warning labels and scam alerts on all cryptocurrency ATMs in the area.
This isn’t the first time a TikTok scam has gone viral. Earlier this year, in February, a woman lost $3,000 when an artist messaged her, claiming they wanted to use her as inspiration for a painting.
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2025-10-09 17:18