A seasoned journalist with 22 years in broadcasting found himself embroiled in a fraud case after losing an astonishing $72,000.
“I think it’s a bit foolish. I should’ve been smarter about it. It’s just… I’m in a really vulnerable place right now,” shared Alex Delgado, who was a KSEE 24 news anchor.
Back in March, Delgado received a dubious text claiming to be from stock trading platform Robinhood. The message warned of suspicious activity on his account and urged him to call a provided number.
Delgado, busy preparing for a trip, didn’t think much of it and called the number—a decision he later described as his biggest error.
“They were like, ‘No problem, we’ll connect you to the fraud department,’ and it sounded completely legitimate,” he recounted.
The imposter on the line informed him that, allegedly, someone in Asia was attempting to access his account using an Android device, putting his investments at risk.
“You’ll need to transfer your money to another account while we investigate,” the scammer instructed.
Over the next two days, Delgado was manipulated into moving the cash through a series of convincing calls. There was a brief moment when he thought of hanging up, but the scammer’s persistence kept him on the line.
By the time he understood that thousands had vanished from his account, it was “too late.”
“If it can happen to me, someone who’s aware of these issues—I’ve reported on them frequently—it can really affect anyone,” Delgado commented.
He attempted to reach out via the official Robinhood app, but there was no follow-up. Delgado has since reported the incident to several agencies, yet recovery of his funds seems unlikely at the moment.
“Sadly, the only person you can trust is your mom,” Delgado cautioned.
Detective Timothy Johnson from the Fresno Police Department advised vigilance, noting that people should be alert to red flags during initial communications, such as a false sense of urgency or a caller insisting on keeping the conversation going.
“As emails and texts from financial institutions look increasingly official, it’s important to be cautious,” Johnson stated.
