Vet Lost $172K to Scam, Warns Others

0:00A disabled veteran named Craig Wilkinson just lost $172,000 to a slick social media investment scam, and he's going. Public to warn everybody else. He spotted an ad for fake financial firm last year, clicked through to a WhatsApp group, and got paired with a so-called mentor named Emily, who built trust over months of chats. Wilkinson, a community volunteer with the wife and three kids, wanted to stack some savings for their future after relying on veteran's benefits. So he started small with $5,500, watching a balloon to over $3 million on their fake dashboard. But when he tried cashing out, they hit him with fee after fee, so he called the cops in the Federal Trade Commission, who's now digging into maybe. Get his money back. Meta shut down those WhatsApp accounts and banned US financial ads linking to messaging apps, while FTC stats show social media scams exploded in. 2025, costing folks $1.1 billion.

1:01Here's how to dodge them, double check sources, ignore pressure plays or prize claims, block unknowns, and never pay via crypto or wire. Stay sharp out there. From your city, powered by AI, this is Durham News Today.