Bitcoin scam online
How a Tinder acquaintance stole a man nearly $300,000
The man met the woman named “Jenny” on the dating platform Tinder (symbol photo)
© Imago Images
An American met a woman through Tinder. The topic of conversation quickly turned to Bitcoins and the acquaintance persuaded him to invest in it. He ended up getting rid of $277,000.
In the beginning, Mike and “Jenny”, as his acquaintance called himself, chatted about their lives and travels together. The two met through the Tinder dating site. They later began to write to each other via WhatsApp – and quickly got to the topic of Bitcoin.
“She started telling me about her uncle, who worked for JP Morgan bank… he was the world’s Bitcoin options expert,” the American told NBC News in an interview. To protect his privacy, his last name is kept secret. “I wasn’t looking for an investment in cryptocurrencies. I was looking for someone to have some fun with. You know, ‘let’s go hiking, let’s go out to eat.'” He wanted all of that with “Jenny” who she said was from Malaysia.
Man loses almost $300,000 through Tinder acquaintance
The single pensioner never met her, but she persuaded him to invest $3,000 on the crypto exchange crypto.com – a trading platform promoted by Hollywood actor Matt Damon, among others. And he did. Then she encouraged him to transfer the money to another platform. Always more. “The more you have in here, the more you can earn,” she is said to have lured him.
Eventually, his cryptocurrency portfolio reached $1 million. Mike was assigned a personal analyst named “Devon”. When he and “Jenny” finally advised him not to submit his tax payments to the Federal Internal Revenue Service, he became suspicious. He tried to transfer money from his account but couldn’t. That’s when he realized none of it was real – neither his wins nor his girlfriend “Jenny” – only his epic losses. “I spent about $277,000,” says Mike.
Police advise research and advice from the house bank
Crypto scams are not uncommon. And they affect both men and women. In February, the “New York Times” reported on a 33-year-old woman who lost almost all of her savings through this scam. She fell in love with a man posing as a Chinese architect through a dating app. They wrote to each other for months without ever meeting.
He addressed them on the topic of cryptocurrencies and how resulting gains would help them build a life together. Eventually, she sent over $300,000 worth of bitcoins to an address the architect had told her was linked to an account on Hong Kong cryptocurrency exchange OSL. The website looked reputable and offered 24/7 online customer support. The young woman was able to track when the Bitcoin price rose or fell on her account balance. But instead of going to an exchange account, the money went into the scammer’s digital wallet and he disappeared.
Cases of bitcoin fraud are also known in Germany. For this reason, the police always recommend doing research in advance for investments whose function or provider is unknown, to check the provider carefully and, if in doubt, to seek advice from your own house bank.
Sources: NBC News, “New York Times”, police