Retired officer promised huge payout, loses thousands in travel deal
CHICAGO (CBS) -- CBS 2 is looking into people who lost thousands of dollars on travel deals that never materialized.
People across the country, including here in Chicago, say they got ripped off by the same suburban man, and it all involved travel.
One person includes a retired cop who's now hoping for justice.
"Dude. Give me my money back," said Mark Porter.
Fighting is not how Porter wants to spend his retirement. Traveling is.
"It was like, ooohhh, I can fly anytime I want to," he said.
At first, he went to Memphis and Las Vegas. Discounted trips were coordinated by a friend of a friend named Elliott Lawson Henderson.
"He was real, real laid back," Porter said.
A smooth talker who invited Porter to make some extra cash in retirement.
Henderson shared an invoice from his side business that involved coordinating flights for celebrities and their families. He promised a considerable payout.
"A $115K. Hey man, we're locked in for life," Henderson said in a video.
"I've invested $17,000, he said, you're going to get $115,000 back. So, who wouldn't do that? What kind of odds is that that no one would turn down?" Porter said.
Unfortunately, his money took flight. The former police officer got scammed and is not the only one.
"I would tell him he needs to stop being so devious out here and taking people's money 'cause people work hard for it," Porter said.
CBS 2 talked, texted, and emailed multiple times with Elliot Henderson. He even scheduled two Zoom interviews with her and ghosted both times.
