Man narrates how Facebook stranger scammed him Ksh36M
By CNN, November 30, 2025Joe Novak’s Facebook pinged 2024 with a friendly message from a stranger. Little did he know it was the start of an ordeal that would eventually tear his life apart.
It was October 2024, three months after Novak shared a public post about the lack of safe fast-food options for his son, who has celiac disease. It drew a handful of likes and comments from his friends.
And now, a response to his post had popped up in his inbox.
“I don’t know you, you are my recommended friend on FB … so I added you, hope this doesn’t disturb you,” it read.
“… I find your post about your son very heartwarming. Maybe we can connect?”
The messages seemed harmless. The sender’s profile showed a slender blonde woman named Ailis Danner. She described herself as a fashion designer who worked on Madison Avenue, the heart of New York City’s luxury shopping district.
The two began an exchange, and their messages – at her suggestion – moved from Facebook Messenger to WhatsApp, where they gradually grew more personal.
Novak had lost his job as a vice president of information technology for a telemarketing company months earlier and was in the middle of a divorce and a custody battle over his two kids.
She told him about her globetrotting lifestyle as a fashion designer navigating two continents. Like him, she said she was divorced. She said she’d lost a child in a miscarriage and admired his devotion to his children.
By February 2025, they’d declared their love for each other. But what seemed like a whirlwind romance now appears like a scheme to lure Novak into a fake crypto investment.
By April 2025, he’d funneled Ksh36 million – almost his entire life savings – to an investment site she recommended. And the woman, along with her Facebook profile, vanished not long after.
“I lost everything. I lost my kids’ future. I lost my future,” said Novak, 52, who lives in Wallington, New Jersey. “I cried every day. How do you tell your 78-year-old mom who has medical problems that everything’s gone?”
Wealthy lifestyle images
Novak’s experience is part of a growing online scam known as pig butchering, which authorities say has drained billions from US victims through fake cryptocurrency investments.
It often starts with innocuous online messages from a fraudster posing as a romantic interest to gain trust and connection. As the bond grows, the scammers introduce the idea of crypto investing, projecting images of wealth and financial success to make it seem attainable. Experts have compared it to fattening a pig before slaughter.
“Ailis” flaunted images of a luxurious lifestyle that included red Ferraris, fancy vacations, and front-row seats at fashion shows.
She sent Novak playful WhatsApp voice notes explaining how to pronounce her name, and shared videos of a fluffy chocolate goldendoodle, Lucky.