Killed by a scam: A father took his life after losing his savings to international criminal gangs. He’s not the only one

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website. For support outside of the US, a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines is provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide.

CNN —

Sitting at the kitchen table, Matt struggles to recount the events of the past few months. “As soon as I found out that it was a suicide, I was 100% sure that it was the scam,” he says.

“Our father was, from the day I was born until six months ago, always a positive, happy person. This was literally the only thing in his life that had happened, to where it changed him, and it just crushed him.”

On a horse farm in northern Virginia, surrounded by sprawling fields and stables, the family gathers at their younger sister Adrienne’s house — something they’ve done a lot in the three months since their father took his own life after falling victim to a so-called “pig butchering” scam.

Loving father Dennis Jones, 82, withdrew from his family and after he befriended a woman going by the name Jessie on Facebook.

The scams – mostly run out of Southeast Asia — are given that name because they involve “fattening up” victims before taking everything they have. The con artists behind them take on false online identities and spend months financially grooming their victims to get them to invest on fraudulent cryptocurrency websites.

Dennis Jones, an avid runner and photographer, was adored by his children and grandchildren. Described as “a bit of an activist” by his family, the