Woman in Ludwigshafen scammed of about €10,000 after contact with account posing as Elon Musk
German police say the victim bought gift cards and sent codes after being convinced she was communicating with Elon Musk.
Published on 14 September, 2026 at 09:07. A 52-year-old woman from Ludwigshafen lost around €10,000 after she believed she was exchanging messages with Elon Musk, German police say.
The woman first entered contact through a messaging service with an account that posed as the American tech entrepreneur. Over weeks the sender built a rapport and convinced her she stood to receive a cash reward.
How the fraud unfolded
To claim the promised money she was asked to buy gift cards and to send the card codes to the account. She complied several times, and the fraudster collected roughly €10,000 in total through the repeated transfers.
After the payments, another person contacted the victim claiming they would deliver the promised funds in person. A meeting was arranged, but instead of receiving money she was confronted with a new demand: the messenger said they had been arrested and asked for an additional €650 to resume the transfer.
When asked for the extra fee the woman grew suspicious and refused to send more money. The case is now being handled as fraud by the authorities, who reiterated an appeal for caution when profiles claiming to belong to celebrities, billionaires or public figures initiate private contact.
Police warned that these schemes typically begin with prolonged communication to gain trust, followed by requests for cash, gift cards or the card codes. They urged anyone contacted this way to stop communication and report the incident.
Photo: press material from the event
