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The Minister Cordel Hyde fraudster fiasco we've been following up on this past week, took an unexpected turn for us here in the Sunup studio this morning. The woman who is being accused of scamming gullible land seekers and impersonating the minister behind a fake facebook profile, showed up to share her side of things, and clear her name. She says she's been scammed too! Jomarie Lanza put the story together:
She was charged yesterday for obtaining property by deception for impersonating minister Cordel Hyde.
But Ada Ethel Toro says she's innocent and on Sunup this morning to say that she finds herself in a scam within a scam. She explains why.
Ada Ethel Toro, Accused of Scamming
"I'm not the person behind, I am a victim as well. I am being accused for some serious things and yes I partook innocently in it. I would never walk in a bank knowing that my name was being used as well on a fake profile scamming people and then the money was deposited into my account thinking I was going for the money."
"I never asked this profile this person posing as Honorable Cordel Hyde for any money I was asking for a land. And they told me send me your banking info. I sent my bank info I sent my name and I shaked my kids and said Mr Hyde is going to give us a little change. So when they said they are going to have someone send some funds to my account, so I said okay I know sometimes as a minister sometimes we are busy and have people who work for us. I bought this stuff because when he said if a $100 would run me and my kids for some days till he could figure out what to do and then after that he said he will have extra money sent to my account and he will tell me what to do with it and I really wanted this land. And at that point I said I'm getting somewhere you know I have this conversation sparking up with me and Mr Hyde. And I said I will do the favor I will do something to get something and he said he wants me to send this money to a student James Williams and I sent it through money gram. I don't benefit nothing. If the person sent maybe $500 because I did 5 different deposits. I do one for $200 and like if you said $500 I had to pay out from that to send the money so the remnants that were left, like $44 or $50 because I recall some of the money was to pay $44 or $50 I would be left with the change. And that was how I did I didn't benefit from nothing I sent the money."
Toro says she is innocent and is now forced to deal with the brunt of things, without a clue as to who she has been carrying out these transactions for.
Brandon Usher, Sunup Host:
"I want to ask then, with the imposter of Cordel Hyde you have no idea who it is?"
Ada Ethel Toro, Accused of Scamming
"No sir"
Brandon Usher, Sunup Host:
"So I'm trying to clarify the story here. You first chatted with this imposter Cordel Hyde and they a asked you to send your account information they would send you money and then from there they would direct you to western Union or money gram money with the lump sum that they sent for someone else."
Ada Ethel Toro, Accused of Scamming
"Yes and I did it and I did it fast the reason why is because I have to campaign every 9:00 and I was the captain and I go and I make sure I gather up my crew so I was like early at the bank doing this deposit. Like I was taking orders from this profile and listening because I wanted a land I had hope I had high hopes. And it breaks my heart inside because it's like all that got shattered and I'm in this situation now you understand. And I want people to know who got scammed with their money that I am innocent in this and I would never do them that."
Brandon Usher, Sunup Host:
"Would they have an address for that person?"
Ada Ethel Toro, Accused of Scamming
"In my in the conversation I was sent an address. I was sent the name and address and a zip code everything."
Brandon Usher, Sunup Host:
"Is it a Belizean address?"
Ada Ethel Toro, Accused of Scamming
"No it is a US address as well yes sir. But people told me in this time with social media and everything you can live in Belize and have a WhatsApp number because the profile even told me that He will have the student contact me through WhatsApp and he gave my number and the number did pop up a US number in my WhatsApp."
Toro says she has screenshots that can prove everything - but her phone was left with the police. And that's where she went after leaving the Sunup set - back to the police station - where police are investigating other complaints against her.
