Wife Sent $57k to Fake Elon Musk – Technical Security Couldn't Stop It
Key topics
I'm sharing this as a cautionary tale at the intersection of online radicalization, romance scams, and the limits of technical security. Despite maintaining robust home network security, my wife (MD/PhD) fell victim to scams totaling $57,553.83.
## Timeline
*Dec 2023*: Wife creates Twitter account, becomes involved in "white wellbeing" extremist communities
*Early 2025*: "Elon Musk" begins emailing her, validating her activism
*May 2025*: Invited to eloncommunitycenter.com after email grooming. First romance scam begins
*May-June 2025*: $55,000 sent via bank transfers. Intimate images exchanged. Communication moved to Teams/SimpleX/Session
*July 2025*: Second scam - $2,553.83 in Bitcoin to meet "Elon Musk." When caught, claimed she knew it was fake but sent money because "they were nice to me"
*Aug 2025*: Left home for 8 days. Returned but won't discuss
## Technical Details
*Our Security Stack*: - OPNsense firewall - Adguard DNS + blocklists - CrowdSec, Maltrail IDS/IPS - abuse.ch and ET rulesets - ~30% of DNS requests blocked
*Scam Infrastructure*: - eloncommunitycenter.com / elonprivateplatform.com (same scam) - plutusaifinance.com (fake crypto trading) - Professional-looking HTTPS sites - Leaked real IP via email headers
*What I Missed*: - Unusual DNS queries (limited log retention) - New messaging apps (SimpleX, Session) - Behavioral changes others noticed
## The Human Element
The scammers succeeded through social engineering, not technical prowess. They: - Targeted victims through extremist communities - Offered validation to isolated individuals - Mixed ideology with financial opportunity - Used romance tactics
## Key Lessons
1. *Technical security isn't enough* when someone voluntarily sends money for emotional validation
2. *Extremist communities are perfect hunting grounds* - members are isolated, seeking belonging, primed to distrust authorities
3. *Warning signs*: personality changes (her brother said her Twitter "didn't sound like her"), secretiveness, new apps, seeking validation online while complaining about real relationships
4. *Financial safeguards needed*: transaction alerts, account monitoring across institutions
5. *Mental health intersection*: A brilliant physician either believed she was talking to Elon Musk's 'management' via AOL email, or felt cornered enough to claim she knowingly paid scammers
## Questions for HN
- Has anyone successfully intervened in online extremism? - Tools for monitoring family financial accounts? - How to balance privacy with security in marriage? - Early warning systems for romance scams?
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
19h
Peak period
2
12-24h
Avg / period
1.5
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Aug 27, 2025 at 5:58 AM EDT
4 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Aug 28, 2025 at 1:02 AM EDT
19h after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
2 comments in 12-24h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Aug 31, 2025 at 9:24 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
My therapist believes she may have late onset schizophrenia.
We have 4 children under age 13.
I know it doesn't answer your question, and I really feel bad for you. Hope you manage to figure something out.