Foreign con artists have been targeting fervent supporters of former President Donald Trump, leaving many out of pocket due to a scam offering “Trump Bucks” as a golden ticket to prosperity, according to NBC News. The scam falsely implies an endorsement from Trump himself, exploiting the trust that his supporters have in the former president.
The Scam: “Invest in a TRB membership card ‘issued by Donald Trump,’ the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future, and USA Patriots claim, and the purchaser who spent, say, $99.99 on a ‘$10,000 Diamond Trump Bucks’ bill will be able to cash it in for $10,000 at major banks and retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Home Depot.
Who’s Behind the Fraud?: The Colorado-based companies Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future, and USA Patriots are behind the scam, offering Trump Bucks emblazoned with images of the former president. Social media and AI-generated promotional videos falsely suggest that Trump himself endorses these products. The sellers claim that purchasing these items will be rewarded when Trump unveils a new monetary system, turning these products into legal tender worth far more than the purchase price.
Victims: Thousands of Trump supporters have found themselves victim to this scam, investing significant amounts of their savings in Trump Bucks. The scam is estimated to be in tens of million of dollars.
John Amann reported to NBC News that he had bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks and other items over the past year, only to find out they were worthless when he attempted to cash them in at his local bank. “There’s no way to cash out what I have,” said the 77-year-old Houston resident. NBC News also identified at least a dozen more victims, each of whom had invested thousands of dollars into these fraudulent products.
Victims of this scam are now sharing their experiences, hoping to warn others about this predatory fraud. A 75-year-old Alabama grandmother, who invested $1,500 in Trump Bucks, shared her story. “I saw all these ads on Telegram that had Trump pushing coins and checks that he endorsed and how you can cash them in after a year and make a profit,” she told NBC News. “Now I realize, well, that was stupid. But I bought them because I believed President Trump, because he knows all about finance, and he was going to help the real Trump Patriots get rich.”
Banks and Retailers Respond: In response to the increasing popularity of Trump Bucks, several banks, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have announced that they cannot accept Trump Bucks for deposit. Retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Home Depot, which were mentioned in the scam’s promotional pitches, have denied any involvement or awareness of this scheme. Walmart spokesman Robert Arrieta stated, “We have not heard of this scam,” and pointed to the company’s fraud alert page.
Authorities Step In: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), responding to a Freedom of Information Act request from NBC News, confirmed receiving a fraud complaint against Patriots Dynasty. While this adds an official layer of concern, the FTC provided no further details about the complaint or the filer’s identity.
What’s Next: Authorities are intensifying their efforts to track down the originators of this scam.
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