Crypto Love Gone Wrong: A $2, 500 Lesson

Cryptocurrency scams are on the rise, and they can happen to anyone. After a liver transplant, a woman from Boston found herself spending a lot of time alone. She turned to dating apps to connect with others. That's where she met David, or so she thought. David was charming and good-looking. He was from Quebec. The two started texting every day. They talked about their lives, families, and future plans. The conversation was exciting and passionate. David mentioned he made money through cryptocurrency investing. He suggested she try it too. He told her to buy Bitcoin and move it to a trading platform using a link he sent. She invested $500 and got $150 back. David encouraged her to keep investing. She transferred thousands more. But the money disappeared. David stopped responding. The phone number didn't work. They never met in person. She felt duped. She thought she was smart, but the scam was clever. This scam is known as "pig butchering. " Scammers build trust to get victims to invest money. They present themselves as wealthy and knowledgeable about investing. They create fake websites or spoof real ones to look legitimate. They target older adults who may be isolated. They start with small investments and gradually ask for more. The woman shared her experience to warn others. Cryptocurrency is popular, and scams are common. She learned to be more cautious. She now meets people in person before getting serious. The FBI encourages victims of cryptocurrency fraud to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.