Overview
- The victim, a 70-year-old woman from General Madariaga, says the contact began on TikTok in 2025 and moved to the private messaging app Zangi as the relationship deepened.
- In mid-May 2026 she made two transfers totaling ARS 3,621,712.35 to a virtual wallet registered with the fintech Ualá in Buenos Aires to obtain a fake 'socia fanática' membership card.
- The impostor tried to pressure her to sell her house by promising to buy property in Santa Marta, California, but she only realized the profile was fake after reading warning comments on TikTok.
- Fiscal Walter Mércuri has opened an active investigation, ordered records from TikTok and Ualá, traced the recipient account to Capital Federal, and has not yet identified or arrested suspects.
- The case mirrors past celebrity-impersonation scams and highlights how privacy-focused apps and local fintech wallets can be used to isolate older victims and route funds, which may slow attribution and recovery.