"Financial Columnist Loses $50,000 to CIA Impersonator Scam"

New York Magazine's financial advice columnist, Charlotte Cowles, admitted to being scammed out of $50,000 by a con man posing as a CIA agent who claimed she was in imminent danger and needed to hand over the cash to a courier in a white Mercedes. The scammer had personal information about her and convinced her that her identity had been stolen, leading her to believe she was the victim of identity theft. After handing over the money, she realized she had been duped and reported the incident to the police, who informed her that no government agency would ask for money in such a manner.