When most people think of internet scams they assume older people are the most susceptible because of their unfamiliarity with modern computer technology.
However, Gen Xers, Millennials and Gen Zers are 34% more likely than adults over 60 to report losing money to frauds, according to Federal Trade Commission data. But the caveat is that while seniors aren't scammed as often, when they do get scammed they are taken for more money on average than their younger counterparts.
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This week it was revealed that Adam Aron, AMC Theaters (AMC) -) 69-year old CEO, fell victim to an old school online scam known as catfishing. In 2022, a woman in the Bronx was indicted after attempting to blackmail Aron after posing as a Russian ballerina and beginning an online relationship with the executive who has been married for over 35 years.
Sakoya Blackwood was sentenced in July to time already served after she was arrested for attempting the extort Aron after she goaded him into sending her sexually explicit pictures. Blackwood threatened to share the pictures with AMC's board of directors, going as far as to send him the unlisted phone numbers of six of the company's board members as a threat.
The story of the plot first broke last year, but government officials only referred to Aron as "Victim 1" and described the victim of the plot as "the Chief Executive Officer of a publicly traded company."
This week, Semafor was able to break the news that "Victim 1" is actually Aron, who then took to social media to tell his side of the story.
Throughout my long career, I have successfully led many prominent companies and am proud of my impeccable reputation. In recent years, AMC's millions of retail shareholders have played a central role in my life. Your passion for our company is one of my key motivators in doing…
— Adam Aron (@CEOAdam) October 12, 2023
Aron said he mistook Blackwood, who went by the alias "Mia" in her communications with Aron, for a woman with whom he'd had a prior relationship. He asked "Mia," who used a picture of a 17-year-old Russian model as her cover, whether she was a ballerina who had done "unmentionable things" to him in the past.
Meanwhile, Blackwood, 34, used multiple online identities to target wealthy and powerful men, according to prosecutors.
"Most people hope for a personal human connection in life, and scam artists twist that desire into illicit schemes to steal more than hearts," prosecutor Nicholas Biase said in a court document last year. "We believe Blackwood used tactics we allege in this indictment to blackmail and extort money from other victims."
Aron was at least one potential victim who went to the FBI after he was targeted, but it is unclear if other prominent public figures fell for her scam as well.
The FBI advised Aron to not inform the company's board of the incident until after Blackwood was sentenced in July.
"The board retained independent counsel, WilmerHale, to look into the incident. The board determined it was a personal matter, and considers the issue resolved," the company said in a statement to Semafor.
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