US News Anchor Loses $2.3M in Robinhood Phishing Scam
Former US news anchor Alex Delgado lost $72,000 after scammers impersonating Robinhood sent fake text alerts claiming suspicious account activity, then posed as fraud prevention officers to trick her into transferring money for "security.
Former prominent US news anchor Alex Delgado has revealed her harrowing experience after falling victim to scammers who impersonated the Robinhood investment app in a fake SMS scheme, resulting in losses of approximately $72,000 USD or about 2.3 million baht.
The incident occurred in March when Delgado received an alert message warning that her Robinhood account had unusual activity and instructing her to call a provided number. When she called back, the person on the line claimed to be a fraud prevention officer and told her that someone from Asia had attempted to access her investment account via an Android phone. They convinced her to urgently transfer her funds to another account temporarily for security purposes. Over two days, Delgado followed their instructions, but after completing the transfers, she discovered all her money had been drained from her account with no possibility of recovery, even after contacting Robinhood through official channels and reporting the incident to authorities.
Delgado commented on her experience: "If this could happen to me, even after covering stories like this for years, it can happen to anyone. Don't trust people so easily."
Fresno Police Detective Timothy Johnson has warned the public to watch for common fraud red flags, particularly scammers creating artificial urgency, pressuring victims not to hang up, and sending messages and emails that appear to come from legitimate financial institutions. Johnson emphasized that modern scammers are using increasingly sophisticated techniques, and people should always verify information through official company channels before transferring money or sharing personal information.
