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A viral story about a financial advice columnist being scammed out of $50,000 by Amazon drew confusion and ridicule from social media users last week. Especially since other news organizations defended her.
Charlotte Cowles, a financial columnist for New York Magazine’s The Cut, shared her horrifying story last week about how she was scammed out of $50,000 in an elaborate Amazon scheme.
“When I tell people this story, most people say the same thing. You don’t seem like the type of person for something like this to happen to you. What they’re trying to say is, I’m stupid, I’m hysterical. And I’m not a rough person either.” But these stereotypes are actually false,” she wrote.
Notable details in the story include that she spoke to a man she believed to be a CIA agent, who convinced her to withdraw as much cash as possible and give it to an undercover agent the next day. It was
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Cut columnist Charlotte Cowles wrote a column called “The day I put $50,000 in a shoebox and gave it to a stranger.” (Dia Dipaspil/Getty Images for New York Magazine)
Stories of financial fraud are common, but people had a hard time sympathizing with Cowles’ story, especially when the title of her story was “The day I put $50,000 in a shoebox and gave it to a stranger.”
NBC News technology and culture correspondent Kat Tenbarge defended Cowles, saying anyone could fall for a similar scam. “I don’t know how I would react if my emotions were toyed with to this extent. Anyone can be abused, manipulated, and scammed.”
Washington Free Beacon reporter Joe Gabriel Simonson responded to Tenbarge’s post by saying, “Based on this logic, there are probably thousands of people handing over their life savings every day. Why should I? Is there a need to go out of your way to interact with these people?”
“Honestly, I don’t think anyone would withdraw $50,000 from the bank, put it in a shoebox, and hand it out the car window to an “undercover CIA agent” they’ve never met,” said Austin, CEO of Bloom Institute of Technology. Mr. Allred writes:
The Washington Post shared an article about Cowles’ story on X, warning followers about making fun of financial columnists when their loved ones could fall for “so dramatic a scam.” “Today you may be making fun of the financial advice writer who went viral for giving away $50,000 in cash in a box to a stranger. Tomorrow you or someone you love may be making fun of something less dramatic. You could fall for a scam you don’t know about,” The Paper said. Your post has been tweeted.
“This was on a Saturday. Let me confirm…no! I still didn’t put all my money in a shoebox or throw it into a waiting car because the CIA told me to,” said a Substack writer. Jim Treacher answered.
“It’s exponentially easier to fall for anything that isn’t a dramatic scam,” said conservative commentator Norm Bloom.
Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller joked: “No, you’re not. I tell people not to answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize.”
“Journalists, perhaps more than any other profession, seem to genuinely believe that everyone in the world has the same strange blind spots as them,” wrote Washington Free Beacon reporter Drew Holden. ” he wrote.
Conservative radio host Erik Erickson said, “The media elite has made a pretty good case that we are all just as stupid as they are. In fact, the past eight years have given the media and the intellectual elite a lot of credit.” He has completely undermined his reputation, and it’s no wonder people now believe so many opinions.” That’s stupid. ”
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The Cut’s Charlotte Cowles talks about how there are “no victims of stereotype fraud” after losing $50,000 in an elaborate fraud scheme. (Screenshot/CNN)
On Monday, Cowles defended her story on CNN, even though she admitted she was “off” the radar throughout the fraud.
“It’s very embarrassing,” Cowles told CNN. “I wanted to tell this story because there really is no such thing as a typical fraud victim. Of course, I know this from my own personal experience, but this story… I know this from the hundreds of emails I’ve received from other people since it came out: experts, doctors, lawyers, government workers, people from all walks of life. “This is supported by data and research done on fraud victims. They are a vulnerable group of people.”
The host of “The Five” weighed in on the article Monday by criticizing the columnist.
Co-host Dana Perino said Cowles “has no street wisdom” despite his experience as a financial columnist. Greg Gutfeld joked that her story “raises more red flags here than a parade in China.”
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Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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