JAKARTA – Crypto scams using online dating applications are increasingly mushrooming in the midst of a global pandemic. The fraudsters or scammers carry out their actions by imitating Leviev who uses a matchmaking application in the Tinder Swindler film. Simultaneously, the documentary began to explode in the market.
However, some people find a partner through a matchmaking application, not a few are victims of fraud, as experienced by a woman named Tho Vu (33 years old) as reported by Cryptopotato.
At first, in one of the dating apps, Vu fell in love with a mysterious figure named Ze Zhao. For several months Vu and Zhao exchanged messages, even planning a wedding and honeymoon.
Unfortunately, the man named Ze Zhao only pretended to love Vu. He managed to get Bitcoin worth 300,000 US dollars (equivalent to Rp. 4.3 billion) from the 33-year-old woman.
In a separate case on WhatsApp, another scammer lured a 24-year-old social media producer – Niki Hutchinson – to invest US$300,000 in digital assets. What happened next, Huchinson never saw the money again.
When he met Tho Vu, Ze Zhao claimed to be an architect from China who was assigned to Maryland, United States of America. After sending the message, he called Vu a “little angel”. Zhao promised to meet Vu with his family when the pandemic ended.
After Zhao found out the victim liked him a lot, he turned the topic to Bitcoin and other crypto assets. Furthermore, the scammer confirmed that he worked in customer service for a securities firm and urged the woman to invest her savings in a dubious crypto exchange. Zhao promised that they would use the investment to get married and honeymoon.
“I often hear about crypto in the news. I was curious, and he was actually very knowledgeable about the entire trading process,” said Vu.
A few weeks later, the victim drained almost all of his savings and sent Bitcoin worth more than US$300,000 to an account on the Hong Kong crypto exchange OSL. At first, the platform seems convincing and provides 24/7 online customer support.
However, not long after, Zhao cut off communication with the victim. Instead of starting a life together, Vu realizes that the money he sends doesn't go into a crypto exchange account but into a scammer's digital wallet.
"I thought I knew him. Everything is a lie," he regretted.
Crypto Scams Impersonating Romance
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), romance scams cost 139 million US dollars (approximately Rp. Cryptocurrency scams accounted for more than 1,800 of those cases. Jane Lee – a researcher at online fraud prevention firm Sift – provides her argument as to why there is an increase in such frauds.
“People are lonely because of the pandemic, and crypto (is a hot topic) right now, the combination of the two really makes this a successful scam.”
One of the victims last year was Niki Hutchinson, a resident of Tennessee. The 24-year-old was visiting a friend in California when she got along with a man named Hao. The latter said she worked in the fashion industry.
As soon as he returned to Tennessee, the two started texting on WhatsApp. He told Hao that he was born in China, but then an American family adopted him. The man admitted that he was from the same province as Hutchinson. Trying to win her sympathy, he begins to call her “sister”, this is addressed as if he were her brother.
They even had a video call once, during which Hao only showed part of his face. "I thought he was shy," said the victim.
Once he understood that Hutchinson had inherited about 300,000 US dollars, Hao advised him to invest the funds in cryptocurrencies. “Get some changes in your life and get some extra income for your life,” he said at the time.
Convinced by his persuasive language, he started sending small amounts of money to a crypto exchange called ISAC. Finally, he invested all the funds and even took out a loan to allocate more.
A few months later, Hutchinson tried to withdraw some of the funds but to no avail. He tried to contact Hao and got no answer. The woman realized that she had fallen victim to a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
The woman currently lives with her father in a recreational vehicle or RV – one of the few assets they have. While Hutchinson does not hope to get his funds back, he hopes his bad experience can serve as an example to people in the future.
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