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Users of Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social have reportedly been scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to newly released consumer complaints.
Accounts obtained by Gizmodo through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FTC reveal a large number of elderly supporters of the former president have apparently fallen foul of such schemes.
Truth Social is described as “America’s ‘Big Tent’ social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation.” The platform, which was launched by the former president in February 2022 boasts around two million users.
Among the individual scam complaints published by Gizmodo was a person in their 60s, who said they lost as much as $500,000 to scammers on the site and seemed to think there might be a way they could get their money back.
“After I pay this they promise there will be no more fees and I will receive my assets,” part of the person’s claim, published by Gizmodo, read.
Another said they lost $170,000 after having been initially scammed on a different site but met someone on Truth Social who claimed they could help get their money back – which was also a scam.
In a wide number of cases, the FOIA found, victims were contacted first on Truth Social before being told to take the conversation somewhere else, like WhatsApp.
Many of the cases – especially among older users – were so-called “romance scams.”
One individual, a 72-year-old man, reported chatting with a “beautiful” woman on the site before being scammed out of $21,000. According to his complaint he did not tell his wife about the “blunder.”
Another, in their 60s, wrote, per Gizmodo: “I got involved with [redacted] through Truth Social which turned out to be a romance scam. She convinced me at first to invest $6000.00 which she also invested $6000.00 In Forex trading through [redacted]... The trade made $1500.00. After further convincing from [redacted] I took $92,400 from my retirement account.
Another complaint also alleged that some $34,500 had been lent since July 2022 and that a woman, who had contacted the user through Truth Social, had requested money for “a phone, her mother’s medical costs and prescription, and then to pay delinquent storage fees and taxes on an inheritance.”
“All this was based on developing a personal relationship with this person and a promise to repay everything along with interest when her inheritance could be liquified/sold. None of this happened and the woman has been absent and unresponsive,” the complaint read.
Another user, also in their 70s, reported having lost $120,000 after being tricked into fronting a non-existent business on behalf of a stranger.
“The more I write the dumber I feel that I would even fall for something like this,” part of the complaint read.
The Independent has contacted Truth Social for comment on the reports of scams on its platform.
