Man loses $1.5 million in life savings to a Bitcoin scam
A citizen of Jersey, an island in Britain, has gotten their money stolen due to a Bitcoin (BTC) scam, reports The Jersey Evening Post.
One of many big Bitcoin scams
Not only did this user lose some of their money – they lost their entire life savings. Totaling $1.5 million in Bitcoin, the process took place over an 18-month period. It seems that the man was experienced in online trading, making the mistake sting even more.
Of course, there are authorities on the case. But those in charge claim that it is “highly unlikely” the victim will get their funds back. Conducting the search is the National Crime Agency of the UK and a “hi-tech” crime unit.
A member of the Jersey Financial Services Commission, claims that the victim would receive returns that are “15 times the investment amount”. Moreover, the scammers “were using well-known UK company names to convince them”.
The director of policy and risk at the Commission, Mike Jones, put out a statement on the situation:
“Following this Islander’s huge loss, we are warning local residents to be extra vigilant when investing in cryptocurrencies or any investment that seems too good to be true and promises high returns with no risk. Always get independent advice from a professional, and make sure the company you’re dealing with is legitimate.”
Widespread threats
The publication makes note of another scam as well. Supposedly, there is an additional group of bad actors that are allegedly spying on users through their webcam. Moreover, the attackers threaten to share their recorded content if they don’t receive a payment.
In fact, one potential target shared an email sent by the scammers, who wanted $800 in Bitcoin:
“I infected your computer with my private malware some time ago. It gave me full control over your computer, all your contacts and accounts. I can even turn your webcam and microphone on. I collected all your private pictures, videos, contacts, everything! I made a video showing you (through your webcam)!!!”
News of these scams comes to us shortly after a recent Bitcoin telephone scam claimed over $2 million in assets. For more information on these and other threats such as Bitcoin robot scams, check out the linked guide.
The post Man loses $1.5 million in life savings to a Bitcoin scam appeared first on InsideBitcoins.com.
InsideBitcoins.comhttp://bit.ly/2FUbkJa May 4, 2019 at 09:22AM @BruceDayne, @Max Moeller