Leydi Mariam Varela, a resident of San Antonio de los Baños in Artemisa, took to Facebook with two videos, shared roughly an hour apart, to reveal that she had fallen victim to a scam while purchasing an electric battery for 75,000 Cuban pesos. This sum was painstakingly saved amid the nation's ongoing crisis.
In her initial video, Varela explains that she bought the battery two days prior and was given a receipt with a phone number that supposedly offered a two-month guarantee. However, when she attempted to file a claim by calling the number, the person who answered was not the original seller. This person immediately blocked her on WhatsApp.
"It was 75,000 pesos. I supposedly have a two-month guarantee, and now I call to make my rightful claim with my paper, with my number, and the woman who answers tells me she bought the line on Facebook," Varela recounted, visibly upset.
She noted that the scammers claimed to be from Marianao in Havana and promised to post the phone number in the comments of her video to warn others and request information from anyone else who might have been similarly deceived.
"You all know what it takes to save up, to forgo buying things, to skip meals, just to buy a battery, to bring some light into your home," she expressed, highlighting the burden this amount represents for a Cuban family, especially when facing power outages lasting up to 36 and 40 hours in Artemisa.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
In her second video, Varela describes an unexpected twist: the current holder of the phone line contacted her, unblocked her on WhatsApp, and they conversed via video call.
According to this woman, she had purchased the number from a "quimiquero" without knowing it had been used for fraudulent purposes.
"She's just as unfortunate as I am, having bought the line now because it was sold to her by a so-called quimiquero," Varela recounted, but she remains determined to track down the original owner of the line who must answer for this scam.
"It's overwhelming what we're going through. On top of not having electricity, water, food, and the national situation, we have these bandits...doing these things. Don't they have a bit of humanity, a bit of heart?" she said, her voice breaking.
Varela is resolute in her quest to find the perpetrator: "With God's help, I leave everything to God, and up there, God is with me, and I will get through this."
Scams on the Rise Amid Energy Crisis
The use of phone lines acquired through the informal market as a shield to hide scammers' identities is a growing tactic in Cuba.
Frauds involving electric equipment have surged alongside the energy crisis. As Cubans increasingly turn to the informal market to purchase home batteries due to the unreliable national electric grid, unscrupulous vendors exploit this desperation by selling defective products, sometimes filled with sand or cardboard, or by disappearing after receiving payment.
In May, another woman reported losing 70,000 pesos after transferring them to a WhatsApp account of a contact who allegedly offered her cash in return. She later discovered that her contact's WhatsApp had been hacked, a scam that occurs frequently in Cuba.
"I had 70,000 pesos in my account and needed to withdraw them, so I agreed to send the money for cash delivery. I repeat: he was a contact of mine and I knew him. What I didn’t know was that his WhatsApp had been hacked," the victim shared with CiberCuba.
This week, a new scam involving solar panels was reported, following a similar pattern of exploiting the population's energy needs.
The Copextel Artemisa branch has warned of fraudulent calls and messages in which criminals use the company's name to demand upfront payments for supposed solar panels.
Frequently Asked Questions About Scams in Cuba
How can I protect myself from scams when buying electronics in Cuba?
To avoid scams, always verify the seller's identity, ask for references, and avoid making payments in advance without a secure transaction method.
What should I do if I suspect a scam?
If you suspect a scam, cease all communication with the seller, document any evidence, and report the incident to local authorities or consumer protection agencies.