Two Women Warning People After Friend Scammed Them Out Of Thousands

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Two women are warning people after they say they were scammed by a woman who they thought was a close friend.

Both women said they’re out thousands of dollars but for different scams. The women said it was a sickening feeling when they realized they had been taken advantage of.

News On 6 will not be naming the woman because she hasn’t been charged with a crime.

Bailey Money lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a photographer who does weddings. She said a childhood friend planned two elaborate weddings and wanted Money to work them.

Money said the woman didn’t show up to either place and never paid her a cent.

"With any other client, if it's like 30 days out and you haven't paid me, that's it. Unfortunately, I'm backing out,” said Money. “I couldn't do that to my childhood friend, especially for her wedding."

Money said one of the red flags was that there was always a reason the woman couldn’t pay on time- no matter what the method of payment was. She hopes other wedding vendors will stick to their contracts, even for their friends.

"I would say, trust your gut,” said Money. “But, if you're getting some kind of elaborate story, and multiple excuses and multiple reasons, stick to your guns. I have things in place and contracts. 30 days out is my normal. If you're not paying, I'm not going to be there."

Madalyn Krosp said she met the woman a few years ago, and she asked Madalyn to cash a check for her. Krosp said the reason she told her was because her out-of-state bank was closing. When Krosp cashed the check, the money showed up in her account, so she sent it right to the woman. But a couple of days later, Krosp found out the check bounced, and Krosp was on the hook for the full amount.

Krosp said she now realizes she missed warning signs the woman was lying.

"She had a beach house in Hawai'i. Her parents had all this money,” said Krosp. “She just lied about a lot of things. Nobody is going to outright tell you they have 40 million dollars in their bank account."

Krosp said falling victim to a scam can happen to anyone, so it’s important always to be careful.

"They know what they're doing,” said Krosp. “I did not think it was going to happen to me. Even my wife was like, 'Don’t think you should cash that check.' And I was like, 'no, we're so close."'

Both women say it's important to trust your instincts, and they hope by sharing their stories, other people can avoid what they've been through.