Woman loses money to crypto scam via matchmaking site in Mumbai
Crypto scam has become a problem in recent years, causing pain and loss to victims. A 60-year-old woman in Mumbai, India, was wise of $29,243 by a scammer on a matrimonial website.
The lady retired from a private firm and joined the matrimonial side in early 2022. She also maintained constant communication with the scammer, who claimed to be an engineer based in the US. The fraudster had promised the victim’s marriage and preyed on her vulnerability to achieve his goal.
Scammers used crypto investments to lure the victim
Indian Express reports that the 60-year-old victim has ‘known’ the scammer since 2022. The accused lured the victim in with the promise of big returns to invest in a cryptocurrency company.
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He claimed to be making huge passive income and sent her the contact of a supposed investment guide. The victim claims to have contacted the guide between April and December 2022. She invested $29,243 and accessed a virtual account in her name that showed an increase to $63,367 after some time.
But when the victim tried to withdraw from the account, the wizard asked for another $14,620. He claimed the costs were for income tax and conversion fees.
The victim realized the trick after her virtual account malfunctioned. Also, the two scammers refused to answer her calls or messages for a few days after the withdrawal request. The victim lodged a formal complaint with the northern cyber cell unit of the Mumbai police.
The police have logged the entry under the relevant sections covering cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery.
Other crypto-related events
Unfortunately, a similar event happened in Mumbai last month. According to the report, a 49-year-old woman living in Mumbai lost $12,183 to a work-from-home scam. The victim saw the ad for work from home jobs on Facebook. When she expressed her interest, she received a call from the syndicate
The Hindustan Times report revealed that the scammers directed the woman to complete some tasks on a Telegram group. The caller explained that she could earn money by liking YouTube videos and sharing screenshots. The woman was paid $2 for the tasks she completed.
After the incident, she liked many other videos from the same source. However, she received no payment. The victim contacted the caller to resolve the issue when he asked her to complete a few tasks and invest in Bitcoin to earn money.
She completed all the tasks and invested in Bitcoin, elated to see her earnings deposited into a virtual account. However, she was unable to withdraw the $24,370 shown in her account and was asked to complete a task and deposit $9,748. The victim later realized they were scammers after losing $12,185. She then filed a formal complaint.
With crypto-related fraud On the way up, all investors need proper research to determine the risks involved. More importantly, look out for properly registered companies that comply with local crypto regulations. It is wise not to invest in assets with vague promises of returns.
Featured image from Pexels and chart from Tradingview.com
