A Tampa, Florida resident originally from Cuba has taken to TikTok to expose a scam she fell victim to, connected to the Cubatonazo Tampa 2026, a large Cuban music concert held on March 14 at the Yuengling Center.
Identified on TikTok as Milysergio (@mileydiscastrotor), she shared in a video how the event organizers encouraged attendees to send a text to 96551 with the word "win" for a chance to participate in a prize draw. She and her husband participated while still at the venue.
Days later, she received a call informing her that she had won a travel package. "They called and said I was among the winners for this trip. I've never won anything before, not even found anything," she recounted.
The caller, claiming to be a representative, offered travel options to Cancun, the Bahamas, or a cruise, explaining that to receive the certificate, she and her husband would need to attend a 90- to 120-minute meeting. The only prerequisite was a refundable $49 deposit via credit card.
She agreed, opting to use her credit card instead of a debit card for safety. "I obviously used my credit card because if I'm going to be scammed, I don't want it to be blatantly," she explained.
However, after making the payment, the promised email with meeting details never arrived. Searching online and on TikTok, she discovered numerous accounts of people experiencing the same situation. "Everything points to it being a scam. After looking up videos on TikTok, I found many people saying the exact same thing immediately," she noted.
Following advice from other users, she contacted her bank to freeze the card and prevent further unauthorized charges. She also reached out to El Nuevo Zol 97.1 FM, the event organizer, hoping for a response.
What infuriated her most was the scam leveraging the event's credibility: "I'm outraged because I can't believe it... At such a major event with big artists, they were the ones who said to text that number."
The scam follows a common pattern: fraudsters acquire numbers from legitimate participants and pose as event representatives to collect an initial deposit. After receiving payment, they vanish or demand additional charges.
She warned that in other instances, the losses are significantly higher: "I've seen videos with amounts going up to four hundred dollars and more." She concluded with a straightforward message: "Whatever you want to do, wherever you need to go, save up and pay for it yourself. Don't let others live at your expense."
Understanding the Cubatonazo Scam Scheme
What was the main scam method used in the Cubatonazo event?
The scam involved inviting event attendees to text a number for a prize draw entry. Winners were then contacted and asked to pay a refundable deposit to claim a travel package, which was never delivered.
How did the victim protect herself after realizing the scam?
After realizing the scam, she contacted her bank to freeze her credit card and reached out to the event organizer for clarification.
What advice did the victim offer to others?
She advised to save money and pay for travel or activities directly rather than relying on offers that seem too good to be true, to avoid being scammed.