Global Courant 2023-04-28 05:32:04
A senior from Burnaby, BC, lost more than $7.5 million to an elaborate, long-running cryptocurrency scam, according to police.
Mounties say a woman contacted them in December saying she was a victim of fraud. She told police she received a text message in Chinese last spring from someone asking about her personal business history.
Over several months, the fraudster worked to gain her trust by communicating with her via phone, text, email, and a chat app.
The fraudster convinced the victim to invest millions in cryptocurrency using an online trading app.
The victim was able to check the balance of her investments through apps that mimicked legitimate cryptocurrency trading platforms.
She later discovered that she was unable to withdraw money and the person she was in contact with disappeared.
The victim was then contacted by another person who offered to help her get her money back.
“The victim, who was pressured and threatened during the scam, invested more, but unfortunately this was also a scam,” said RCMP.
Burnaby RCMP says it is one of the biggest personal scams the detachment has ever seen.
Copl. Philip Ho of Burnaby RCMP’s Economic Crime Unit said they are sharing details of the case in an effort to prevent other people from falling victim to similar scams.
“Fraudsters often change tactics,” Ho said in a statement. “In this case, it appears they were able to tailor the scam to this victim in particular by using information about her career and business history to build trust and friendship first.”
RCMP said they are continuing the investigation and are working with partners, such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center, to examine the “digital footprint” of the transaction.
The center offers multiple hints about how to avoid falling prey to scams and fraud.
