A woman has reportedly been defrauded of a significant sum by an individual impersonating Elon Musk.
A social media user shared an image of a letter that appears to be from the Tesla CEO himself. The letter, addressed to the woman’s husband, outlines an alleged investment opportunity with Tesla. It goes on to state that in order for her to retrieve her initial investment, an additional payment is required. The letter mentions that “remaining disbursements” will be processed following a final payment of £10,000 ($13,500).
The letter concludes with Elon Musk’s name, giving the impression that he personally signed it. The person sharing the story expressed their dismay in the comments.
The social media user explained that their mother-in-law is convinced she has been communicating with Musk and believes she is investing in an exclusive stock not available to the public. “This has been going on for years,” they said. “She doesn’t believe anyone that it’s fake or a scam.” They added that she thinks she communicates with Musk and his entire board daily via WhatsApp.
Despite their efforts to intervene, including involving the police, doctors, and banks, their attempts to stop the scam have been unsuccessful. “We’ve had police get involved, we’ve had doctors get involved, we’ve had banks get involved and everyone says they can’t do anything about it unless she’s a danger to herself or others,” the user wrote.
Expressing their frustration, they said, “We don’t know what to do about it anymore and she’s practically broke now.” They lamented that even if Musk himself were to address the situation, she would likely dismiss it as a public diversion to protect her alleged investment.
Other social media users offered support and suggested contacting a fraud reporting center for assistance. Unfortunately, scams involving individuals posing as Musk are not uncommon.
In another instance, a woman in Jensen Beach, Florida, recounted her experience to Fox News: “He kept telling me it was my lucky day. I had just won a new white Tesla and $250,000 in cash.” However, she was asked to send an Apple Gift Card for $200, and eventually $800, to cover supposed delivery fees.
Tesla has been contacted for comment.
The Federal Trade Commission provides guidelines to help identify scams. Key indicators include fraudsters impersonating familiar entities, presenting fabricated problems or prizes, pressuring immediate action, and requesting specific payment methods that are hard to trace, such as cryptocurrency or gift cards.