“Life is never the same and I try to accept that some people can be so ruthless,” said the Norfolk victim. A resident of Norfolk, UK has reportedly lost his life savings (over $200,000) after falling victim to cryptocurrency scammers.
This is hardly the first such scheme in the country which has caused heavy losses. David Lindberg, head of retail banking at NatWest, has previously warned local investors to be very careful when dealing with cryptocurrency as the UK is a “paradise for fraudsters”.
“Life will never be the same” According to local media, a British woman decided to invest in cryptocurrencies after seeing an online ad. After completing the investigation, the criminals approached him and promised to create a trading account for him.
They developed a close relationship with him over the next few months, encouraging him to give them access to his laptop and smartphone to “transfer large sums of money at various times”. The victim believed that the money was invested in cryptocurrencies.
He realized the investment was actually a scam when he contacted his bank to verify the specific transfer. The scheme, which drained all her savings of around $227,000, had a big impact on the victim, who said:
“My first reaction when I was told I had been scammed was that I was very scared for my future because the scammers left me nothing. Life is never the same and I try to accept that some people can be like that merciless. But I will fight this feeling and move on, even if I take a different path in life.”
Local officials have warned people to be extra careful with such crypto investments, saying bad actors often scam victims through social media platforms and websites. They also warned that plans can sometimes include the image of a celebrity to boost their legitimacy.
Police noted that online investments can be “a good way to manage and grow funds,” but warned people to exercise due diligence before cashing in. Some past scams in the UK This type of crime has increased in the kingdom in recent years, with several incidents reported by CryptoPotato. One example is retired teacher Teresa Jackson, who walked away with more than $150,000 in 2021 after joining a fraudulent investment scheme advertised on Instagram. Crypto-friendly schemes were also very popular in the UK. An anonymous British national lost around $200,000 after a mysterious woman he started dating online encouraged him to invest in digital assets through a dubious platform. The man was so disturbed when he realized that he had become a victim that he considered taking his own life: “I immediately understood that I needed help and went straight to my mother. If I didn’t have that support, I wouldn’t be here. I was going to do something that wouldn’t leave me here anymore.”
Another Briton living in Nottinghamshire was defrauded of more than $200,000 earlier this year after a criminal posing as a US Army surgeon tricked him into transferring money to a specific Bitcoin wallet.