‘Johnny Depp’ Asked My Broke Mom for Money

‘Pig butchers,’ ‘catfishers,’ and ‘sextortionists’  — here’s how online scams rob you, why thousands of people fall for them, and how you can avoid them.  

By Roxanne Grant

When my mom showed me an Instagram DM from movie star Johnny Depp, I rolled my eyes. I told her there was no way this was real, even though she was convinced it was. But as I read on, my disbelief turned into rage: After weeks of sweet talk and promising to visit, “Johnny” asked her for money to help with the plane fare.

A lot of people would spot the scam. But my mom, a former musician who was bedbound and on heavy medication, just wanted to believe it was real. She even saw him perform once in his ’80s rock band The Kids.

Their communication eventually switched from DMs to emails — a tactic scammers use to evade platform moderation. “Johnny” said he preferred Gmail, so my mom wrote…

Dear Johnny,

I remember watching you on stage and being mesmerized and of course having a crush on you which is not surprising. Four years ago, I had an Aortic dissection. I came very close to dying and the 14-hour surgery left me paralyzed from the waist down. They told me I had a couple of years left to live… I would love to meet you. You are such a good man and people truly love you.

Love,

Rossella

I scolded her for being so naive in opening up to a complete stranger, and she decided not to send her bank account info to Johnny’s make-believe assistant. Even though I stopped my mom from screwing up her finances, I screwed up our relationship instead — and made her too scared to tell me about future fakers.

There are countless others hiding all over the world who continue to manipulate vulnerable victims. This scam has a name: pig butchering. 

Robbery easy as 1, 2, 3

It started overseas and is now booming stateside — U.S. taxpayers are the most targeted population, according to the IRS Criminal Investigation division. Cyber thieves form personal online relationships to build trust (like fattening a pig), then convince the victim to hand over their life savings (the slaughter). 

I caught the red flags just in time, but many don’t. Scams like these have been around for a few years and come in different forms: pig butchering, catfishing, even child sexual exploitation… and it’s only getting worse.

Last year, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (nicknamed “IC3”) received over 850,000 reports of suspected digital fraud from all over the world. Originally built for law enforcement, IC3 has since become the go-to public hub for reporting cybercrime and fraud.

Victims lost on average $19,372, while total losses hit a record $16.6 billion — a 33% jump in just two years. 

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Zacharia Baldwin not only leads FBI Miami’s “complex financial crimes” squad, but also helps protect the 60-and-older community as elder fraud coordinator. He tells me that scammers will get anything they can from anyone willing to give it. 

“It is pretty much a shotgun approach,” Baldwin explains. “They don’t discriminate.”

Although it’s hard to count how many scammers there are due to the hidden nature of these crimes, the United Nations estimates well over 200,000 individuals are held captive in scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia alone. As victims themselves, these prisoners are forced to chase online relationships until they make a profit.

There are lots of ways online fraudsters operate — some by choice, some by force. Baldwin boils it down to three common ways they’ll take your money.

1. Transfers

A popular way for scammers to receive money is through ACH transfers, peer-to-peer payment services, or wire transfers. What’s the difference?

• Automated Clearing House (ACH) is how banks and credit unions move money electronically between accounts. You typically use it through your bank’s website or mobile app to send or receive transfers.
• Peer-to-peer (P2P) payments are a type of ACH transfer that involve a third-party processor like Venmo or PayPal. They’re usually fast and convenient — all you need to send money is an email or phone number.
• Wire transfers move money between banks using the Federal Reserve’s wire network. They are generally faster than ACH, but you’ll need the recipient’s bank account and routing numbers, and sometimes the international bank code.

2. Gift cards

Scammers may ask their prey to purchase prepaid gift cards like iTunes, Amazon, or generic cash cards and then have the victim read the hidden codes aloud. The gift cards become instant, untraceable cash. Over time, it might play out like this:

Scammer: “Hey, I’m really struggling right now. Can you help me?”

Victim: “Of course, anything for a friend! What do you need?”

Scammer: “I need money to pay for [insert random reason here], and it will be easier if you buy some gift cards and tell me the numbers on the back.”

By insisting this is the only acceptable payment method and warning of dire consequences if you delay, they exploit the sense of fear and urgency — or leverage the personal relationship they’ve built — to steal without a paper trail.

3. Cryptocurrency

Pig‑butchering scammers often lure victims into converting cash into cryptocurrency before “investing” it in a bogus platform. The process typically unfolds in three steps:

Step 1: The Conversion Prompt. Scammers guide victims to a legitimate‑looking crypto exchange and show them how to buy Bitcoin or other coins.

Step 2: The Wallet Transfer. Next, victims are asked to move their newly purchased crypto into a “secure” digital wallet controlled by the scammer.

Step 3: The Fake Investment Portal. Finally, they copy the wallet address into a phony investment website displaying rising balances, making it appear as though the money is growing.

Victims are convinced by glowing account screenshots and friendly follow‑ups. In reality, once they authorize one or more transfers, the scammer and the fake website vanish, and the victims are left with zero recourse — and zero funds.

“It’s devastating, both emotionally and financially. So it’s hard to convince [loved ones] sometimes, and these scammers know that,” Baldwin says. “It takes some encouraging to realize what’s going on.”

All of these techniques, Baldwin says, involve a willingness to cooperate. In my mom’s case, she was one step away from funding the scammer’s “trip” to Fort Lauderdale…

On Jun 21, 2022, at 3:18 PM, <hollywoodindustryofficial01@gmail.com> wrote:

I always appreciate all those who stood by me during my trying time.

He’s wearing could meet if you are serious about it.

I have a director of protocol who is in charge of all my traveling arrangements.

She would arrange for a private meeting when you are ready, but on the condition that you will pay part of the bill for the trip.

But meanwhile I will like to know everything about you.

Thanks for being there for me.

What makes us vulnerable

Is it love? Probably not. These scams play on your emotions. Baldwin describes this as the “fear-based vs. confidence/romance” approach.

Some take online threats at face value and rush payments through. Others believe wholeheartedly they are forming a real connection. My mom was thrilled to be talking directly with her celebrity crush!

But for Alison Jimenez, a financial fraud expert analyst who has consulted for the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, she is most concerned about how these romance scams are targeting children. 

Jimenez has published research on these teen victims, making her no stranger to the darkest side of financial crime: sextortion. She tells Debt.com that scammers “want to get that picture so they can blackmail a kid. And they are ruthless and vicious and nasty.”

With sextortion, the criminal poses as a teenage girl on platforms like Instagram or Snapchat. They’ll even go so far as to connect with the target’s real-life friends. 

“It’s called ‘love bomb,’” she explains. “They’ll love bomb the entire team or school to make it look like you have more connections.”

That’s when things turn “from flirty to explicit.”

After sending a few doctored photos, the fake profile asks the teen to return the favor. Those are then used as blackmail, and the young victim scrambles to cover “ransom payments” so they can stop their intimate snapshots from being posted all over the internet.

Jimenez says these pictures usually never see the light of day: “It’s an empty threat. They just move on to the next kid to try and get the next kid to pay.” 

Unfortunately, most young people don’t know this. Beyond the shame and the money, these scams can cost victims their lives.

“About once a month we see a new death reported,” Jimenez says. “These kids are ending their life over it — for $300 that these guys are making off of these instant images.”

Stopping scams before they start

Both Jimenez and Baldwin agree that prevention is the most powerful tool we have to stop cybercrime. But it’s not always easy, especially when convincing family members or friends that their newfound relationship is a lie.

Baldwin says it’s important to put yourself in their shoes before confronting someone about a potential pig butchering scam, because even though scammers’ feelings aren’t real, your loved one’s feelings are.

In fact, the success of these scams can often depend on how lonely someone feels. 

Fraudsters use isolation as a key tactic, warns Kathy Heaven, who heads the Economic Crime Unit at the State Attorney’s Office in Fort Lauderdale. That’s why it’s important to work together.

Heaven has helped victims of financial crimes for more than three decades. As an assistant state attorney, she observes that cybercriminals “are always getting wiser and sneakier,” and says the course of action is to not engage with online strangers in the first place. Like my mom did. 

Both Heaven and Baldwin point to a few telltale warning signs that, if heeded, can prevent you or your loved one from becoming a victim in the first place:

• Inconsistencies in their story: Is your newfound soulmate a graduate from Yale? No record of them attending? Say they’re from Miami but don’t recognize a popular beach there? Spell their kid’s name differently at different times? These are red flags.
• Too good to be true: Scammers often create idealized versions of themselves. They’re supermodel-level attractive, have tons in the bank, and can’t get enough of you: “This is destiny!” No. This is a nightmare in waiting.
• No real social media presence: Although you get tons of pictures and messages, you can’t seem to find this person anywhere online. When you do, you can’t find any normal comments or posts. And there’s always a good excuse.
• Can’t meet in public: Scammers consistently avoid meeting in real life, and especially in public places. They usually live abroad, and they’ll struggle to answer specific questions about exactly where they live — yet they expect that information from you.
• Photos get weird: After a quick Internet search, you see this person’s photo pop up under multiple profiles. Or they start requesting that you send them intimate photos of yourself. Don’t send photos you wouldn’t want posted on your Facebook feed.
• Communication gets even weirder: Your crush will want to move off of the platform you started talking on. Whether it’s a dating site, social media, or a secure messaging app, they may push to talk in a more private way.
• Pushy behavior: Speaking of pushing, scammers try to rush their victims into making impulsive decisions. Why? So you don’t have time to think about how ridiculous and inappropriate their requests are. Be wary of any undue pressure.

One of the biggest signs to watch out for is how the relationship is making you feel. If your loved one becomes withdrawn or gets defensive, or they hide their phone when you enter the room, start a conversation. Listen without judgment and have a gentle approach so they feel safe opening up.

Heaven says come up with common safe words. Mention details only your friends or family would know if you receive a suspicious message from someone claiming to be them.

When will “Johnny” strike next?

Actually, the question isn’t when. The FBI receives more than 2,000 complaints of malicious activity every day. The question we should be asking ourselves is: How? How will technology change the way criminals steal from us in the future?

One of the biggest game changers in cybercrime is artificial intelligence, which allows scammers to take pig butchering to another level. 

With AI, fraudsters fabricate credible personas and lend bogus firms or investment platforms an air of authenticity. With the use of AI, criminals can create fake investment websites — and take them down — in seconds.

AI is also being used to generate lifelike audio recordings of those closest to us, producing what Baldwin describes as the “amygdala hijack.” 

When a grandparent, for example, hears the sound of their grandchild’s voice begging for help, it triggers a biological fight-or-flight response. They will do anything to keep their family member safe, including sending money to an imaginary kidnapper.

Baldwin notes how advances in technology makes it even easier for criminals to work across borders: “With these large language models, you don’t need to speak that language. They will immediately translate for you.” Criminals can swap faces with an existing person, make up a new one, and communicate faster than ever before.

From Johnny Depp to dear old Aunt Millie, it’s never been easier to get duped. 

As much as AI is being used for cybercrime, it’s also essential in the fight against it. Baldwin can’t get into the details, but assures me that the FBI is adopting technology to stop digital fraud in its tracks. He reminds me, however, that education and outreach are still the agency’s most effective tools.

Squashing the stigma

As for me, my “outreach” was clumsy at best. I’m not proud of how I handled the situation with my mom, and my actions had consequences. 

Firstly, I made her cry. My vulnerable mother, who lived with paralysis and suffered from a life-threatening aortic aneurysm, laid in her bed as I shamed her for even thinking about sending money to her beloved celebrity crush.

Then I continued to treat her like a child, which made her shut down even more. I don’t blame her for becoming icy. After all, I yelled at her for simply wanting to feel less alone.

So she continued talking to strangers online. I only found out while searching for something in her email after she passed away in 2023. No doubt my harsh reaction was more than enough to keep the others a secret.

Even though it’s no excuse, I had so much on my plate as her caregiver. I was resentful that on top of it all, I had to watch what she was doing on the internet. My frustration and judgment kept me from connecting with her, which is the best way we can help each other stop these scams in their tracks. 

But at least my mom didn’t become a victim. Her last interaction with Mr. Depp’s imposter put an end to the trip planning.

Hi Johnny,

Due to the size of my aneurysm and what my paralysis involves, I am unable to travel in my current state. I do appreciate your response as I know you are very busy. Maybe you can listen to my music one day, it is all autobiographical. I would love an autographed picture if it’s not too much trouble. All my best! 

Love,

Rossella 

She never got her photo, but at least she died without losing all her money.

*The FBI says if you’re experiencing cyber threats, report them immediately.