A woman from a western suburb of Chicago lost nearly $1 million over several months to a scammer using the “pig butchering” technique—a term used to describe a scheme in which the scammer gains the victim’s trust over a long period, slowly “fattening” them up with false promises, before stealing their life savings.
The FBI estimates that “pig butchering” scams cost Americans almost $4 billion in 2023 alone.
One of those victims was Erika DeMask, who had saved close to $1 million in investment accounts. Today, she is left financially ruined.
“I had to tell my kids because they had no idea I had that kind of money,” Erika said.
To cope with her losses, Erika was forced to sell her Lombard home and all of her belongings.
“This is my garage sale. It’s the beginning of a mess,” she said. “And it’s hard because a lot of the stuff—the glasses here belonged to my husband.”
Her husband passed away decades ago, and more recently, she met a man online who appeared to be the answer to her loneliness.
“He said that he loved me,” she recalled. “Once, he sent me a huge bouquet of flowers, and the FBI said they were shocked he went that far.”
The FBI explains this gesture was part of the scam’s initial “fattening up” stage.
“Fraudsters build trust, enticing victims to invest more and more, before eventually ‘slaughtering’ them by taking everything,” said James Barnacle, deputy assistant director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division.
For Erika, the scammer was both charming and persuasive.
“He told me he was working on an oil rig and something broke down. Then he asked if I could send him $20,000. I said, ‘Whoa, let me pray about it,'” she said. “But then, I sent $35,000 twice, and his pastor was supposedly sending him $250,000. I was asked to match it.”
Over time, Erika sent close to $1 million, convinced she would double her money through the scammer’s “investments.” Instead, she now faces financial devastation—owing money on her home equity loan and taxes on investment withdrawals.
“There’s $400 left. That’s it—$400,” she said.
Erika’s son, Ed, revealed that Fifth Third Bank allowed her to send large sums of money via cashier’s checks and wire transfers without ever raising concerns.
“She was sending $100,000, $300,000, $50,000 at a time, and no one stopped or checked,” Ed explained.
Despite filing reports with the FBI and Secret Service, the DeMask family said agents suggested the bank should have flagged such unusual activity.
“I kept transferring money from my investment accounts at Fifth Third, and they never asked, ‘Why are you closing the entire account?'” Erika noted.
Fifth Third Bank responded to Erika’s concerns in a letter, stating that they ask a series of questions before sending a wire transfer. Her answers, they said, did not raise any fraud red flags. The bank also claimed it complies with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).
While the FBI has had success recovering funds from scams in recent years, Erika’s losses were not recovered. Her emotional pain now comes from parting with her home, furniture, and sentimental belongings, like a chalkboard in her garage where her grandson, Teddy, had once scribbled.
“This was here when we moved in, and Teddy’s the only one who ever wrote on it. Every time I look at it, it’s hard. A lot of memories are going to be gone, and that’s even harder,” she said.
To avoid falling victim to a pig butchering scam, experts warn against ever sending money to someone you meet online. Additionally, they recommend setting up trusted contacts with your bank, allowing financial institutions to reach out to family members in case of suspicious activity.