‘I’m a financial expert - I fell for a hoax that cost me $50,000’

A financial advice columnist has revealed how she lost $50,000 in an elaborate scam.

Charlotte Cowles, a writer for The Cut, has spoken out after writing a piece for the publication in which she shared she fell for a hoax that saw her give money to a stranger after a fake CIA agent told her over the phone that there was a warrant out for her arrest for crimes including money laundering and drug trafficking.

Explaining how she became convinced by the scammer, Cowles told Good Morning America: "The thing that made me keep going is that they had so much information about my family."