Woman's Husband's Ashes Held for Ransom After Being a Victim of a TikTok Scam
- Replies 5
It’s something we can all relate to – trying to find comfort in the face of grief and tragedy. Unfortunately, there are people out there who will use this vulnerability as an opportunity to scam us.
And for one widow, that’s exactly what happened.
After the passing of Jocelyn Cronin’s firefighter husband, John, a couple of years ago, she said she wanted some support from other widows.
So, she reached out to others on the popular social media platform, TikTok.
‘The widower’s community on TikTok is amazing. On the whole 99 per cent, it’s amazing [and] supportive,’ the American woman told reporters.
John Cronin was a firefighter for 30 years. He passed away from a heart attack in 2019.
‘He was supposed to be my forever partner. We were married for 32 years,’ she shared.
Last month, Jocelyn went on TikTok and saw a video on how to honour a loved one who had been cremated, like her husband. Jocelyn commented on the video and received a reply from an alleged artist – who was supposedly a widow as well.
The woman offered to make Jocelyn a portrait of John using his ashes. She agreed and put her husband’s ashes in an ‘if it fits, it ships’ box, and sent the remains to an address in Georgia, USA.
‘I thought it was a lovely idea,’ she said.
Days later, Jocelyn received an email from what claimed to be a Cambodian Customs agent who was holding her husband’s ashes for ransom.
‘It said, “We have seized your husband’s ashes and portrait, it’s illegal. If you want to get them back you need to pay US $3,756 (AU $5,399).” And right there, I knew I had been scammed,’ she explained.
Since then, Jocelyn said she had been bombarded with texts from the scammers. However, Jocelyn refused to pay the ransom.
They even trolled her on TikTok and threatened her that they will destroy her husband’s ashes if she doesn’t comply.
‘The lowest of the lowest of the low,’ Jocelyn said in a warning video she uploaded on TikTok. She said she wanted others to be aware of the scam, and have already contacted the police for help.
Now, all that Jocelyn has left are some of the remaining ashes in an urn and inside her personalised necklace.
‘Some people say, “Well, he's not the ashes, he's all around you.” I know that! But you know what? I was entrusted with those ashes not to be desecrated. That's desecration of human remains. That's kidnapping of human remains. That's extortion. And that's what kills me,’ she admitted.
The local police have reportedly been in contact with Jocelyn and have said that they’ve updated their scam alerts list to include this incident in the hopes that no one else falls for it.
In the context of crime and victimisation, social media can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has made it easier for police to investigate crimes. Such as the case of Melbourne local Jill Meagher, whose last moments via Facebook and YouTube assisted officers in apprehending her murderer.
On the other hand, social media has made it easier for scammers, like the ones who targeted Jocelyn, to extort money from their victims. It has also made a lot of ‘amateur detectives’ feel entitled to be a part of police investigations, and weigh in on their own findings, which prove to be distracting for law enforcement officers.
Our hearts go out to Jocelyn. We hope she recovers her husband’s remains soon, and may he rest in peace.
And for one widow, that’s exactly what happened.
After the passing of Jocelyn Cronin’s firefighter husband, John, a couple of years ago, she said she wanted some support from other widows.
So, she reached out to others on the popular social media platform, TikTok.
‘The widower’s community on TikTok is amazing. On the whole 99 per cent, it’s amazing [and] supportive,’ the American woman told reporters.
Jocelyn said the scam took her husband away from her again. Credit: Irina Anastasiu/Pexels
John Cronin was a firefighter for 30 years. He passed away from a heart attack in 2019.
‘He was supposed to be my forever partner. We were married for 32 years,’ she shared.
Last month, Jocelyn went on TikTok and saw a video on how to honour a loved one who had been cremated, like her husband. Jocelyn commented on the video and received a reply from an alleged artist – who was supposedly a widow as well.
The woman offered to make Jocelyn a portrait of John using his ashes. She agreed and put her husband’s ashes in an ‘if it fits, it ships’ box, and sent the remains to an address in Georgia, USA.
‘I thought it was a lovely idea,’ she said.
Scammers will use their victims’ vulnerability against them. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels
Days later, Jocelyn received an email from what claimed to be a Cambodian Customs agent who was holding her husband’s ashes for ransom.
‘It said, “We have seized your husband’s ashes and portrait, it’s illegal. If you want to get them back you need to pay US $3,756 (AU $5,399).” And right there, I knew I had been scammed,’ she explained.
Since then, Jocelyn said she had been bombarded with texts from the scammers. However, Jocelyn refused to pay the ransom.
They even trolled her on TikTok and threatened her that they will destroy her husband’s ashes if she doesn’t comply.
‘The lowest of the lowest of the low,’ Jocelyn said in a warning video she uploaded on TikTok. She said she wanted others to be aware of the scam, and have already contacted the police for help.
Now, all that Jocelyn has left are some of the remaining ashes in an urn and inside her personalised necklace.
‘Some people say, “Well, he's not the ashes, he's all around you.” I know that! But you know what? I was entrusted with those ashes not to be desecrated. That's desecration of human remains. That's kidnapping of human remains. That's extortion. And that's what kills me,’ she admitted.
The local police have reportedly been in contact with Jocelyn and have said that they’ve updated their scam alerts list to include this incident in the hopes that no one else falls for it.
In the context of crime and victimisation, social media can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has made it easier for police to investigate crimes. Such as the case of Melbourne local Jill Meagher, whose last moments via Facebook and YouTube assisted officers in apprehending her murderer.
On the other hand, social media has made it easier for scammers, like the ones who targeted Jocelyn, to extort money from their victims. It has also made a lot of ‘amateur detectives’ feel entitled to be a part of police investigations, and weigh in on their own findings, which prove to be distracting for law enforcement officers.
.png){kind=icon}
