A fake charity, “Hope After Hurricanes,” siphoned $3 million from donors after a natural disaster.
Following Hurricane Diana, fraudulent social media posts featuring AI-generated images of flooded homes went viral. The charity, operated by Cassandra Blake (52, disgraced nonprofit director), diverted funds to luxury real estate in Belize. Michael Torres (37, Miami), a PR expert, crafted fake survivor testimonials and paid influencers to promote the scam.
Victims:
Father Patrick O’Reilly, 60 (Boston, MA): Donated $50,000 from his parish’s emergency fund.
Emma Wu, 23 (Vancouver, CA): Sent her entire savings ($15,000) after seeing a TikTok plea.
How It Was Tackled:
Uncovered fake domain registrations linked to Blake’s alias.
Seized her Belize villa and repatriated $1.1 million.
Outcome: Blake sentenced to 12 years; TikTok banned 200 scam accounts.