Rebecca ‘Beks’, a musician from Queensland, has issued a stern warning after losing more than $4,800 in a scam.
On TikTok, the musician revealed that while on a working vacation in Los Angeles, she was introduced to a supposed ‘Grammy-nominated producer’ on WhatsApp through a mutual friend.
On April 11, the ‘producer’ claimed to have VIP passes and accommodations for Coachella, with major artists and labels staying with them.
—Me, from Bundaberg, a country girl from a small town. I was like, ‘Oh wow, this Grammy-nominated producer wants to work with me! Oh my God,'” the musician said. Yahoo News Australia.
Despite initial misgivings, Callander was persuaded to continue and sent $3,000 for the VIP ticket to the producers’ bank account.
Rebecca ‘Beks’ Callander, a musician from Queensland, has issued a stern warning after losing more than $4,800 in a scam.
“It was all, ‘You have to do this now,’ and ‘You only have one chance left,'” he said.
However, the producer stated that the $3,000 was not processed, so payment for the accommodation would be required in cash, which led her to withdraw nearly $1,900 from an ATM.
After giving the man the money, he received messages indicating that the deal had not gone through.
On TikTok, the musician revealed that while on a working vacation in Los Angeles, she was introduced to a so-called ‘Grammy-nominated producer’ on WhatsApp through a mutual friend.
With no concrete plans, Callander finally received a message that solidified his suspicions and served as the final warning sign.
“I then told him I wouldn’t be coming due to his inability to provide me with a stable plan,” she said on TikTok.
When the initial $3,000 also failed to come back, Callander realized she had been duped.
“Those ‘bad’ bank details were 100% working… and now he had all that money and there was no way they could get it back for me.”
The ‘producer’ offered VIP passes, full access and accommodation for Coachella, ensuring that big artists and labels would stay with them
After sharing her experience on TikTok to warn others about the scam, Callander discovered that numerous people had been targeted by the same scammer, who, she later learned, had never been nominated for a Grammy.
“There are three other people who are independent artists who he has scammed,” he said.
“We are all aware that we probably lost our money, but we want to stop this guy,” he added.