Every entry comes from a regulator: SEC and CFTC enforcement actions, and the California DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker. Each one links its official source so you can read the record yourself.
Allegations in a complaint are the regulator’s claims until a court rules or the case settles. DFPI entries are consumer reports DFPI has published; some scams borrow the names of real companies, so always check the exact website address.
“Renting 'bots programmed with artificial intelligence' to trade for you, with guaranteed profits and recruiting bonuses”
More than $2.8 million. The SEC alleges there were no AI trading bots, deposits never earned returns, and the firm posted a phony SEC certificate.
Official SEC source ↗ · Related filing ↗“WhatsApp groups issuing supposed 'AI-generated trading signals', then a fake trading platform”
More than $12.5 million. The SEC alleges no trading took place, profits shown were fictitious, and withdrawals were blocked until victims paid 'advance fees'.
Official SEC source ↗ · Related filing ↗“Forex pool said to trade with 'professional traders, proprietary bots, and artificial intelligence'”
About $950 million. The CFTC complaint alleges Cash FX promised up to 15% weekly returns from bots and AI trading that did not deliver what was claimed.
Official CFTC source ↗“Crypto commodity pool posting weekly 'trading bot' profit summaries”
More than $10 million. The CFTC alleges the pool posted aggregate profits by bot category while actually incurring significant losses.
Official CFTC source ↗ · Related filing ↗“'Proprietary AI-based trading bots' doing high-frequency crypto arbitrage”
About $12.3 million from about 150 investors. The SEC alleges Fuller raised money claiming AI arbitrage bots from at least October 2022 through mid-2024.
Official SEC source ↗“Membership packages promising guaranteed returns from crypto and forex trading”
About $198 million raised; more than $57 million misappropriated. The SEC alleges PGI Global claimed to be a crypto and forex trading company and used MLM-style referral incentives.
Official SEC source ↗“Claimed use of AI to perform automated trading for clients”
$310,000 in civil penalties (settled). The SEC found false and misleading statements about Rimar's purported AI-driven automated trading; the parties settled.
Official SEC source ↗“A crypto trading bot said to make 'millions of microtransactions' every second”
More than 82,000 BTC, valued at $295 million at the time, from more than 100,000 investors. The SEC alleges the bot was a front for a Ponzi-like MLM scheme promising at least 0.35% daily.
Official SEC source ↗“1% daily profits from a trading 'bot'”
At least $40 million. The SEC alleges the bot was fake and investor money was misappropriated.
Official SEC source ↗“A 'proprietary bot' trading forex”
At least 29,421 BTC (over $1.7 billion) from about 23,000 US participants. The CFTC alleged the 'bot' claims were false; a 2023 order required MTI to pay more than $1.7 billion in restitution.
Official CFTC source ↗ · Related filing ↗Reports published by California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Fetched Oct 15, 2026. Entries with their own DFPI page link to it; the rest link to the tracker, where you can search for the name.
A California resident reported viewing an Instagram ad about a WhatsApp group promoting crypto asset trading at https://aimsfex.com. The group claimed it would help members invest in exchange for a small portion of any profits earned. Following the group’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the crypto asset platform operating at https://aimsfex.com and transferred funds to their account. Following the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform Mociobo/starsx, operating at pc.mociobo.com/#/home. The resident deposited funds onto the platform, but when they tried to withdraw funds from their account, the platform demanded various fees upfront. The victim has been unable to recover their funds and the website is no longer operational. All told, the victim lost about…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California consumer reports their experience with a website called SpreadandBid.com, described as a copy‑trading platform that allegedly featured the trades of a widely‑known crypto trader. The consumer transferred funds to the platform to invest. The platform displayed daily profits of roughly 12% of the consumer’s initial investment and showed a steadily increasing account balance. Encouraged by these…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian reports they were contacted via LinkedIn by “Samuel”, who claimed to be a Director of AI at a prominent tech firm. After moving the conversation to WhatsApp, Samuel built trust with the victim and even claimed he could help identify crypto scams. Samuel told the victim he was an experienced investor and could help the victim generate passive income. Samuel instructed the victim to open an account on…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual online who claimed to be part of the “Dark Cherries Wealth Society Inc” and convinced the resident to begin trading crypto assets on the platform, SafetyValue operating at web.safetyvalue.vip. Following the society member’s instructions, the resident opened an account on the platform and transferred a small amount of crypto assets. After seeing profits in their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were contacted by an individual through social media and they became friends. At some point, the friend asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp and began to discuss investing in crypto assets to earn “guaranteed” profits. The friend guided the resident to the crypto asset trading platform “Base App” operating at basewebotc.site, and showed the resident how to open an account…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were a long time follower of a popular YouTuber who offered investing content and a paid trading course accessed through Discord. After being told the Discord channel would be discontinued and that the YouTuber would contact members with a new way to communicate, the resident received a WhatsApp link from an individual claiming to be the popular YouTuber. That resident even…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports being approached on LinkedIn by “Bulan”, who claimed to be a computer programmer. After building a friendship, Bulan suggested they trade gold options together, saying that she could help the victim earn money. Bulan asked the victim to deposit crypto assets on a trading site operating at https://www.ulinkexclub.com, where she could trade gold options for the victim. The victim sent crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports being contacted on LinkedIn by “Maki” who claimed to be a “financial advisor” with a PhD from a prestigious university. Maki said that she had experience trading gold and silver futures on crypto asset trading platforms and said she could help the victim make money. Maki instructed the victim to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform called OFX, which operated a mobile app and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting Lydia through a chat app, who claimed to work for a financial company. Lydia encouraged the victim to open an account at thrivefin.ai which later changed to TLNvault.com and subsequently, tlnprime.com and deposit funds to earn profits. The victim did so, but now is unable to recover their funds, and the website is no longer operational. All told, the victim lost $359,714 on…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report about their experiences with a crypto asset trading platform operating at https://www.ceexbe.com and ceexapp.com. The first reports receiving a random message by “mistake” and then communicating with the sender, Daniel. Over the following months, the victim and “Daniel” built a relationship. At some point Daniel began discussing crypto assets and boasting about the profits he…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report their experience with crypto asset trading platforms that appear to be spoofing a well-known crypto wallet service. The first resident reports being approached online by a stranger who convinced them to deposit crypto assets to a crypto asset trading platform operating at mewchain.exchange. The resident sent at least $10,000 of BTC to the following wallet address:…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports encountering a WhatsApp group led by “instructors” who regularly provided investment advice and offered online investment courses through the website, www.echelonmark.com. Eventually, the instructors steered the resident to the crypto asset future trading platform, Wellington Harbor Cap, to invest in a speculative cryptocurrency called “VegaMark” (which does not appear to be listed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports being contacted on Telegram by “Viviane,” who claimed to be a trading assistant for a company called FT-ALPH. Vivian invited the consumer to join a Telegram group called Orion Union Trading, with active discussions and staged training sessions. Following the group’s guidance, the consumer registered on a crypto asset trading platform operating at www.fltraderus.com. Within a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports communicating over Facebook Messenger and later WhatsApp with an individual identifying themselves as “Selam.” Selam persuaded the consumer to begin trading crypto on the crypto asset trading platform Bcex-global.online, promising high returns. Following Selam’s instructions, the consumer opened an account and made multiple transfers to the platform, believing they were making…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports joining a WhatsApp group called Alphaedge AI after receiving an invitation from “Robert” and his assistant “Julia.” The group claimed to be launching a “staple coin” for a well know venture capital company called BDF (Blackstone Digital Fund). The group told the consumer they had won 99 shares of BDF in a raffle but needed to open an account on a crypto asset trading platform…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports being contacted through Vrbo by “Jenny,” who later moved communication to WhatsApp. Jenny encouraged the consumer to invest in crypto assets on a crypto asset trading platform operating at Web3-Cryptohopper.com. The consumer deposited funds and was promised daily returns through an “AI trading robot.” The platform initially allowed small withdrawals, and the account later appeared to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents have reported on their experiences using a purported crypto asset exchange called Essential Crypto Exchange, which operated through the website essentialplus.net. The residents believed they were earning profits through an initial exchange offering; however, the exchange demanded payment of “commission service fees” before it would let them withdraw funds from their accounts. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports communicating online with “Jane,” who persuaded the resident to fund a crypto asset account operating at web.alphabettrade.net. But when the resident tried to withdraw funds, the website demanded various fees, including a “NIIT Tax fee” and a capital gains fee, first. The resident has been unable to recover any funds from the website, which is no longer operational. All told, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining an online crypto asset investment group associated with the website vestdashboard.com. After participating in a group call, the resident sent funds to take part in the investment. Shortly thereafter, members of the group persuaded the resident to download a software to “track” the investment, and the resident’s crypto assets were subsequently drained from his wallet. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported an encounter with the crypto-trading platform HyperBit Exchange, located at web.hyperbitexchange.vip. The resident was led to believe they were participating in initial coin offerings, initial exchange offerings, as well as crypto contracts trading, and was shown account balances suggesting they had earned up to $8 million in USDT on the platform. However, when they attempted to…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reported on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, Richminer.com. After the resident read an article claiming the platfrom offered “passive income” through crypto mining, the resident opened an account on the platform and transferred funds. However, when the resident tried to withdraw a small amount of funds, the platform’s customer service claimed the platform’s “contract”…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being solicited online to invest on the crypto asset exchange platform, Vynectis Capital, operating at vynectiscapital.cc and vynectiscapital.com. The resident opened an account, deposited funds, and used the the platform to trade crypto assets. After making multiple deposits and believing they were making profits, the resident attempted to withdraw funds. However, the platform…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported discovering a Facebook group which claimed to make great investment returns by following trade signals. The resident then joined the WhatsApp group's chat, where an administrators offered to teach the resident cryptocurrency trading. The administrator helped the resident in opening an account and transferring funds to begin investing on the crypto asset trading platform,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being contacted by an individual through the running/cycling app Strava. Shortly after, the individual encouraged the resident to continue communicating on the messaging platform Signal, where they were subsequently introduced to the crypto trading platform, located at Goeti.top and Goeti.site. The resident was convinced to make a small investment and gradually invested more funds…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being invited to an investing-focused WhatsApp group, led by an alleged investment adviser, “Charles” and his assistant, “Isabella”. Charles regularly posted stock recommendations and position sizes in the group chat, but eventually directed group members to the crypto-trading platform GOXCOINS.com to trade crypto futures contracts that promised daily returns. Under the direction of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported a typosquatted crypto trading platform called “VanguardTrade”, at https://user.vanguradtradeprocrm.com. Typosquatting is a method where individuals register common misspellings, typos, or slight variations of popular domain names to lure users to malicious websites. VanguardTrade used a deliberate misspelling of an established investment management company–the Vanguard Group (at…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reported meeting an individual on a matrimony site who claimed to be a business owner from Georgia. After establishing a relationship, the Georgia friend brought up the topic in investing in crypto assets. The friend provided instructions, including over video calls, on how to open and account on coinget.finance and transfer funds to trade crypto assets. But when the victim tried to withdraw…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two California residents reported on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at lgdbite.com. The first victim met an individual online through a dating website. At some point, the online date mentioned that they invested in cryptocurrency and made a 10% return and convinced the victim to invest. Following their date’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reported on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at https://quantumxex.net. The resident joined a WhatsApp group and got pulled into the investment chats and discussion. Following the group’s instructions, the victim opened an account and transferred funds onto the platform. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, the platform rejected the request and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at bhpvipai.com. An individual contacted the resident online claiming they could assist them with setting up an AI trading bot on the platform. Following the individual’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and transferred crypto assets. The victim reported that they cannot withdraw their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported that they were the victim of an online recovery scam. The resident was contacted by an “IT expert” online who claimed they could help recover crypto assets the resident had previously lost to an online scam. At the direction of the “IT expert,” the resident transferred crypto assets to a platform operating at h5.bitboxn.com, which the "IT expert" claimed was where the original…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents reported being approached on WhatsApp about an investment opportunity involving crypto futures trading through groups operating under the name “Legends Smart Traders Alliance” (LST). LST appears to manage multiple WhatsApp group chats; however, residents have individually reported the use of social engineering tactics, including a “Professor” figure (“Professor Bennett”), offers of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported encountering an Instagram account offering education in crypto/options trading through “classes” hosted by a “professor” and “assistant.” The resident was instructed to download a trading app, “STI1”, which directed users to the crypto-based trading platform, AtlasQuant AI Trading System/STI1 at https://fandc.ai and stilwllinvestings.com, where they believed they would participate…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents reported on their encounters with Navivision Wealth Society, a group that conducted WhatsApp‑based investment classes run by “Professor” Caldwell and his assistant, Quinn. The group claimed to provide trading education and guaranteed profitable trades using signal-based and coordinated trading of crypto assets. Members were instructed to open accounts on QuaxtTop using the web…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported seeing YouTube comments praising an individual named Hubb. The resident then contacted Hubb through Instagram and then WhatsApp. “Hubb” claimed to be a professional crypto trader who offered to trade on the resident’s behalf in exchange for 20 percent of profits. Following Hubb’s guidance, the resident opened an account on the crypto asset exchange operating at the web address…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported opening an account on the crypto asset exchange operating at the website www.global-assets.com. The resident believed his account had grown to around $490,000, but they were unable to make withdrawals. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported they met an individual named Alina online who promoted a high-yield crypto trading opportunity on the crypto asset exchange operating at the web address https://cmegroupsbin.com. Following Alina’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the exchange and transferred funds. After successfully withdrawing a small amount, the victim deposited additional funds. But when the victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported receiving an email offering free NBA non fungible tokens (NFTs). After following the link in the email to the website nbatopshot.live, the victim created an account and followed prompts on the website to sign in to their crypto wallet, believing they could claim the free NFT’s there. Instead, the individual received a notification that their wallet had been drained. The website is…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported on their experience with two websites related to crypto assets. First, the resident met an individual named “Dawit” online who, communicating through WhatsApp, encouraged them to invest funds through the website, robintradepremium.com. Following Dawit's instructions, the victim opened an account and began investing. At first, with Dawit’s assistance, the victim was able to withdraw…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported joining the Mooathon Wealth Society online to learn about stock market investing at mooathon.com. At some point the “professor” leading the course said that stock market activity had slowed, and shifted the focus of the course to investing in crypto asset futures. The “professor” advised the resident to open an account on the “Rubypoint Trading Center” at https://rubypoint.tv and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being contacted via WhatsApp by an individual named “Sara.” Sara brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets and introduced the victim to crypto asset trading platform “XA1 Asset Optimization,” at https://h5.balletcrypto.cc. The platform offered a points based rewards system in which a user could earn points per transaction and redeem them for cash. Sara proposed that if the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported being referred by a friend to a crypto trading site called https://hashkxjt.com. At first, the victim deposited $1,000 in their account for trading, and then deposited another $49,000 loaned to them by the friend. Later, the victim took out loans from their 401(k) and other sources to fund their trading. For a while, the victim was able to withdraw from their account. However, when they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met someone on Facebook and began a romantic relationship. At some point, the romantic partner mentioned they knew a professional analyst who provided guaranteed trading signals and asked the victim to join an crypto options trading platform operating at capitalcrypto.net. After the victim lost a small initial deposit, the romantic partner offered to cover the loss and…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reported their experience with a crypto-based trading platform operating at creatordbcoin.cc and creatorsbwxq.cc. The platform used a “credit score” system that promised gains once an investor’s scored reached 100%. The victim deposited funds onto the platform, but has been unable to recover their funds. The website is no longer operational. All told, the victim lost at least $8,000.
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident was invited to a WhatsApp chat by “Jennifer” who then introduced them to a “Senior Analyst” named Paul, who promised 30–40% returns using the crypto asset trading platform operating at cryptovaultNC.com. Following Paul’s instructions, the victim opened an account and believed their account had grown to more than $100,000. But when the victim tried to make a withdrawal, the site demanded a…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at Okrex.com and also at Okred.com. The resident deposited funds onto the platform, and believed they were trading cryptocurrency. However, the resident was unable to withdraw any of their funds from the platform and the websites are no longer operational. This is not to be confused with legitimate crypto platform,…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports joining an online trading education platform, Darkcherries Wealth Society, at https://darkcherries.com. An instructor introduced the victim to the EVO AI trading bot, and urged the victim to test the system and open an account at SafetyValue.com. The victim deposited funds to the platform and traded using the bot. At some point, the victim tried to withdraw funds but was…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports using a crypto asset investment platform operating on Tasttytrade.com. The resident opened an account and began trading. At some point, they believed their account had grown to approximately $450,000. But when they tried to make a withdrawal, the platform demanded a 10% commission. The victim asked the platform to deduct the commissions from their profits, but the platform denied…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident was approached through LinkedIn by “Yuli” who said she worked for a large computer chip manufacturer and was financially successful. At some point, Yuli suggested moving their conversations over to WhatsApp and eventually brought up to the topic of investing in crypto assets, claiming she had an uncle who worked for a large financial firm. Yuli claimed her uncle had access to proprietary AI…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident joined a WhatsApp group run by “Mike,” who introduced crypto trading to the resident through the crypto asset trading platform operating on www.tonwek.com and its associated app. After successfully depositing and withdrawing a small amount of funds from the platform, the resident continued to fund their account and believed that they were earning profits from crypto assets trading. But when…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using BMC Markets, a crypto asset investment platform operating on bmcmarkets.com that claimed to offer large daily profits. The resident opened an account to invest, but when they tried withdraw funds, the site demanded the resident to pay a commision and capital gains tax before it would allow them to withdraw any funds. The resident paid the fees but has not been able to recover…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using crypto asset trading platform operating at glidz.com which promised daily returns of 2.2%–2.7% through AI-based trading. The resident opened an account and began trading. After several trading cycles, the account balance grew to approximately $75,000.00. During the last cycle, the platform demanded a deposit of $200,000 to continue trading. When the resident refused, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they received a WhatsApp invitation to learn about “intelligent investing” through a program called EXT 8.0, run by a “Professor Govan”. The victim was contacted by “Lee”, who said she was Professor Govan’s “assistant”. Lee said that Govan would teach investors about trading cryptocurrency and would give them real-time market analysis and AI-generated trading signals. Lee encouraged the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports on their experience with a crypto asset trading platform operating on multiple websites, including cdappofficial.cc and appscrowdinmedias.cc. The victim traded crypto assets on these platforms and believed their account had generated healthy profits. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, the site blocked the request and demanded a payment of $124,000 to prove they weren’t laundering…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they were invited to a WhatsApp chat group called “Onchain Crypto Mining Pool” by someone named “Maria”. Group members touted their high returns on crypto investments on a crypto asset trading platform operating at https://web3bats.top to lure the victim onto the site. The victim created an account on the site and invested $50,000. For a few days, the victim believed they were earning…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports on their experience with SDI Partners (SDI) aka Seider Digital Intelligence. SDI contacted the victim on WhatsApp, claiming their AI-drive trading technology could generate a 13% monthly return and lured the victim to create an account and deposit funds at https:///sdi.partners. The victim deposited $3,000 on the platform but has not been able to recovery any of their funds. The website is…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they sent money to what they believed was a crypto asset trading site, operating at https://6ixmarkets.com. After the victim sent money, the site was deactivated. The victim reports that the following addresses are associated with the site: - bc1q9agxhndhmcnc0m03z7lksdcplv8evrmvqx6fnu - bc1qtyek092h779hkn6pxvnsyhl8ere068fjtdx3x8 - 16EJrNahdEGJ4FPXZmShp6PQhX3dX45CQV
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining Digital Finance Research Institute (DFR), operating at dfr-corp.com, for free training in stock and cryptocurrency investing, for which the resident received DFR tokens and small amounts of Bitcoin for joining. The resident was later invited to participate in a new program called AI Matrix Futures Trading Beta Test. As a reward for joining the program, the resident received…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with, Hoyo Mining Inc., a cloud mining platform that promised daily returns. The victim deposited funds on https://Hoyomining.com but the website went offline. The victim has not been able to recover their funds and the website is no longer operational. All told the victim lost more than $8,000.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports being targeted by an imposter scam involving two online individuals, who falsely claimed to represent TD Securities and TD Cowen–both legitimate financial services companies. The victim was invited online by Ethan and Isabella who claimed to work for TD Securities to join the "TD-Cowen" trading team operating on the website https://pc.atkmh.com. The victim opened an account and deposited…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform Coxoshop.com. The resident opened an account on the platform and believed they were trading crypto asset contracts. But when they tried to withdraw some of their funds, the platform demanded they pay $15,000 in “taxes.” The resident did not pay the tax and has been unable to withdraw their funds. The website is no longer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they joined an online group called “Alpha Trading Club”. The group encouraged members to use the crypto asset trading platform operating at Best-Trade.app. The group claimed it would provide trade signals to its members and could guarantee returns if members used the platform’s “VIP” service. Following the group’s instructions, the victim invested funds onto the fraudulent…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting someone on LinkedIn, who later asked to move the conversation over to WhatsApp. At some point, the individual brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets, and introduced the victim to a crypto asset trading platform operating at Toplomarketcn.com. Following the individual’s instructions, the resident invested a small amount of funds, and believed they had made a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they opened an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at okcbxfa.vip and transferred cryptocurrency to the platform. However, the resident was unable to withdraw their funds from the platform and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on a dating app, who after a few days, asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp then Telegram. At some point, the friend brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets, and introduced the victim to the crypto asset trading platform, CoinCommunity, operating at concommunity.top. After performing several trades on the platform, the victim attempted to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual online via WhatsApp. At some point the conversation turned to investing in crypto assets, and the individual introduced the victim to the crypto asset trading platform operating at coinmatr.com. After investing crypto asset onto the platform, the resident tried to withdraw their funds but the platform demanded a series of fees. The resident has been unable to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with Mining Steps, which offered a crypto mining investment opportunity at miningsteps.com. The resident invested, and was able to initially withdraw funds from the website. But now the website is no longer active, and the resident has been unable to recover their funds.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports receiving a job offer online from someone claiming to work for a well-known recruiting firm. The solicitor said the resident could earn money by completing certain job tasks on Telegram and gave them a web domain, creatordblos.com, to sign up. But first, the victim had to send crypto assets to the solicitor’s wallet address. The victim did, but did not receive any work, and has not…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was approached online by someone offering an investment opportunity that promised high returns for investing in crypto assets. The solicitor invited the resident to a telegram channel called Celtic Financial Institute (CFI) (also operating at www.cfiled.com) where members of CFI helped each other to trade on the crypto asset trading platform operating at www.skeeapp.com. Following the CFI…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports their family member was approached on the Chinese social media platform, RedNote, by a person who struck up a conversation about investing in crypto assets, and later asked to move the conversation over to Discord. After a while, the RedNote friend asked the victim to engage in options trading on the crypto trading platform operating at Best-Pam.com. The RedNote friend helped the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that a family member was approached on WhatsApp by Andrey and Alisa who claimed to be “financial advisers” from APL Management. The advisers said they had a “proven investment strategy” involving crypto assets and convinced the victim to download an app located at https://web.aplfinance.us. After opening an account on the platform, “Andrey” and “Alisa” directed the victim to send a…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports they met an individual on TikTok who asked to move the conversation over to Whatsapp. At some point, the individual brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets and convinced the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating on the website chainrealm.org. Following the individual’s instructions, the victim transferred crypto assets onto the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being introduced to the crypto asset trading platform, COXNO operating at web.coxno.com, through an investment group called the “Dreamers Investment Guild”. After opening an account on COXNO, the resident received regular trading advice from the investment group and believed their balance was growing rapidly, at one point, exceeding $ 1 million. But when the resident tried to…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the website, richdl.com, which solicited funds from investors on the representation that they would be used to lend to crypto “miners”. The website touted it would pay interest daily, and investors could get their initial funds back after a few days. The victim invested funds, and believed their account balance grew to more than $70,000. But then the website…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, tinvault.com. The victim deposited money on the platform, traded crypto assets, and believed they were making profits. But when the victim tried to withdraw the funds, the website said their account was restricted. The victim has been unable to recover their funds and the website is no longer operational. All told, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted by an individual on Discord who after a time, brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets. The Discord friend provided a link to a website at marketspacebch.com and instructed the victim to open an account there. Following the Discord friend’s instructions, the victim deposited money on the website, traded crypto assets, and believed they were making profits.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the website sottoc.com, which represented it was a stock brokerage firm. After depositing money there, and believing they were making profits through trading cryptocurrency, a representative from the firm told the victim they needed to deposit more money to participate in a higher level of trading. The victim has been unable to withdraw their funds, and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted via text message by a woman. At some point, the woman said she had a relative who could help the resident invest in crypto assets and gold options on the website gold-start.com. Following the woman’s advice, the victim opened an account on the platform and began investing cryptocurrency. Encouraged by trading profits, the victim drew from their retirement account to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were contacted through LinkedIn about a job opportunity. The LinkedIn member connected the victim with a “hiring manager” named “Tu” who communicated with the victim on WhatsApp and then asked to move the conversation to Signal. Over time, the conversation shifted from the job opportunity to investing in crypto assets. Tu told the victim that he could help them trade crypto on a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports being unable to withdraw funds they deposited on a crypto platform called Melloncrypto.com. The platform informed the consumer that they could not withdraw their investment unless they paid previously undisclosed “release fee[s].” Despite paying the “release fee[s],” the consumer has not recovered any of their funds. The website is no longer in operation. The consumer sent…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using a crypto platform called Ovaro.net. The resident believed they were earning profits through trading on the platform. But when the resident tried to withdraw their funds, the platform demanded they pay a “processing fee.” Resident paid, but then the platform demanded they pay a “capital gains tax.” Again, the resident paid but still could not retrieve their funds. The platform…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset trading site operating at avtocoin.com. The resident transferred over $6,000 to the site to trade cryptocurrency. When the resident tried to withdraw their money, the platform said their account was suspended for 30 days due to “suspicious activity”. The resident has been unable to recover any of their money, and the site is no longer operational.
Official DFPI entry ↗Multiple California residents reported participating in a wealth management course offered by Eagle Crest Asset Management (ECAM), led by an individual identified as “Ridel.” The course focused on stocks and crypto assets trading. The residents were instructed to open accounts on the crypto asset trading platform operating at OK-Coin (ok-coin.com), QamCoin.com, and Coin-Rush.com. ECAM provided investors with $500…
Official DFPI entry ↗Multiple California residents report on their experience with a fraudulent crytocurrency trading platform at crypen.com. The residents report joining a WhatsApp group named “Techcrisis Investment Guild.” The group recommended the residents to invest in “TGD” tokens on the platform. Following the group's recommendation, the residents created a crypen.com account and invested funds to purchase “TGD” tokens.…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports they were approached online by “Melissa” who steered the conversation over to WhatsApp. Melissa claimed to have inherited crypto assets, which she used to support various non-profit organizations. Melissa offered to help the resident invest in crypto assets and showed the resident how to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at https://www.defiwa11etbch.com…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports that they met an individual on Instagram. The individual presented themselves as a young millionaire that resided in New York. The individual convinced the resident to register for a website called “LBMA” to trade “gold spots”. The individual then taught the resident how to transfer cryptocurrency to a fraudulent crypto asset trading platform operating at lbmaex.xyz (LBMA). The…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being approached on WhatsApp by “Yuxuan”, who introduced the resident to the crypto asset trading platform, RWA Nexus, operating at https://rwanexus.io/ as a way to earn profits through crypto asset trading. Yuxuan showed the resident how to open an account to trade crypto assets for profit and begin trading. Over the course of a few weeks, Yuxuan encouraged the resident to deposit…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports joining a group online called “CO6 Dr. Johnson’s Investment Education Institute.” The resident reports that the group provided information on trading cryptocurrency and provided different trading signals to trade cryptocurrency. The group instructed the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at oaktree-ex.com. The group encouraged the resident to…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being contacted by an individual online who expressed interest in forming a relationship, but insisted they couldn’t meet until the resident had enough money. The individual then persuaded the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at fastcryptoteam.com. The resident did so and began trading and was even able to withdraw a small amount from the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was invited to join an online crypto asset trading group named "Fortress AI Train" on WhatsApp. The group instructed the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at cryptoaiml.vip. The resident opened an account and deposited funds. Then the resident was encouraged to invest more funds to join the “VIP” group. The resident invested funds to join the “VIP”…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached through a communication app by an individual who convinced them to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform operating at twaaos.com. The resident did so and made some small trades, and was even were able to withdraw some of their funds. Encouraged, the resident invested more money on the platform. But when the resident tried to withdraw a larger…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that an individual they met online showed them how to invest on the crypto asset trading platform operating at dconchain.net. The resident did so, but when they tried to withdraw some funds, their request was denied and the platform demanded they pay a tax. The resident paid, but the platform claimed it had placed them in a queue of 83,000 people and to bypass the queue, they would…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports learning about the crypto asset trading platform operating at jgfygroup.co through a WhatsApp Group. The group instructed the resident to open an account on the platform and let “Bill” to manage it. The resident believed that Bill was making profits for them through crypto assets trading, but when they tried to withdraw some funds, their request was denied and “Bill” demanded a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset trading platform operating at btcschg.com. The resident joined a Whatsapp group named "BTCS" and the group encouraged the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform at btcschg.com. The resident opened an account and invested funds based on the group's representation that it would provide trading signals to them and other…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about their experience with the online trading platform located at AccGN.club, a site that claimed to use Artifical Intelligence to trade crypto assets. The resident opened an account on the platform, began trading, and was even able to withdraw funds for a period of time. But then the platform blocked their latest withdrawal request. The resident has not been able to recover their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by “Amy” on WhatsApp who invited them to join a group chat to learn how to trade crypto assets. Under Amy’s direction, the resident downloaded an app, SBDCCOIN, and was told to follow the trading signals provided by “Professor Andy”. The resident transferred crypto assets to the app and at one point believed their account had grown to more than $1 million. But when…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached online by someone who coached them on how to create an account on the crypto asset trading platform located at Topexs.us. The resident opened an account on the platform, deposited funds, and believed they were generating profits. The resident was also encouraged to take out loans to invest more and did so. However, when the resident attempted to withdraw funds…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California reports on the experience with the crypto asset trading platform, Chain Trade LTD, operating at ctante.com. The resident opened an account on the platform and believed they were trading crypto assets, though in fact they were not. But When the resident tried to withdraw funds, the platform’s customer service said the account was frozen. The resident has not been able to recover any funds from the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached by “Jo Anna” on WhatsApp who claimed to live in Seattle and manage multiple beauty parlors. After some conversation, Jo Anna steered the conversation to trading in crypto assets. Jo Anna directed the resident to open an account on the trading platform, Milky Way Forex, operating at https://milkyway-fx.vip/. Following Jo Anna’s instructions, the resident believed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by “Tonya” on Facebook dating. After starting a relationship, Tonya introduced the resident to investing in crypto and introduced them to the crypto asset options trading platform operating at https://cry-pthluoos.com/. Following Tonya’s instructions, the resident believed they were earning lots of money trading on the platform. But when the resident tried to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with an online crypto gambling site operating at https://zesowex.com. The resident sent crypto assets to an account on the website. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the site demanded they deposit additional funds to clear “errors” associated with the account. The resident paid, but the site demanded more payments. The resident has been unable to recover any…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that an individual contacted them on WhatsApp claiming to assist in investing and retiring safely. The individual told the resident about a crypto asset trading platform operating at exponentialstocks.ltd and instructed the resident on how to open an account and invest money there. The resident believed they were making profitable trades, but when they tried to withdraw some funds,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platforms Coggie.com and H5.Coggie.vip. After being approached by an individual online, the resident invested their retirement funds onto these platforms but now cannot withdraw their funds. The websites are no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at bitpros.app. The resident believed they were earning profits trading in various crypto assets on the platform. But when the resident attempted to withdraw some of their funds, the platform demanded they pay $5,000 in “taxes” on their earnings. The resident paid, but then the platform demanded $2,000 as an…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents report on their experience with a crypto asset trading platform called "Onchain Wallet," operating at the websites onchainiy.com, onchain-bit.com, onchainwallet.info, and nad-ex.com. The residents report meeting individuals on the online dating platform Tinder, where, after establishing trust, the individuals steer the conversation to investing in crypto assets. The individuals…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset investment platform, Stack Stash, operating at stackstash.co. The resident deposited over $700 onto the platform. However, when the resident attempted to withdraw funds from the platform, the platform demanded the resident to deposit additional funds before permitting any withdrawal. The resident has been unable to recover their funds and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports investing $15,000 on luminobit.com who marketed themselves as a new ICO, which ceased operations just 10 days later. The resident reports sending cryptocurrency to wallet address: 0x392DcdC7351AFC41cc222557f79518836d9B6CCC. The individual has been unable to recover the funds, and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that when attempting to withdraw 150,000 USDC of their own funds from a crypto asset trading platform at btopchains.com, the request was rejected and their account was frozen. The platform then demanded an advance fee equal to 20% of the resident’s total assets to restore their account access. The platform’s domain name was then changed to bkchaintops.com. The resident has not been…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports opening an account on the online crypto asset trading platform operating at Cryptomia.aiforexbrain.com and deposited funds to trade crypto assets. The resident has not been able to recover any of their investment. The website is no longer in operation. All told, the resident lost at least $20,000 on the platform.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports meeting a person online who introduced them to Kine Protocol, a decentralized crypto exchange, operating at akineprot.vip.The person also claimed they would teach the consumer how to trade cryptocurrency on the platform. The consumer’s initial investments appeared to do well and gradually they increased the amounts invested. Eventually, after appearing to make significant profits,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading site Dusk Digital, operating at duskseodigital.com. The resident transferred $13,000 worth of crypto assets onto the Dusk Digital platform for trading. However, when they tried to withdraw their funds, their account was frozen, and the site demanded the resident pay an additional $13,000 to unlock their account. The site is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian resident reports encountering a crypto asset trading group on WhatsApp called BOTE Finance Wealth Academy. The resident reports that the group maintains a functioning website at botefinanceinstitute.com. The group said they used a crypto asset trading platform called GeniZenith, located at www.genizenith.com. The group told the resident it sent AI crypto trading signals to its members for them to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports using a platform called AstraX, located at https://eaialliance.com, to trade crypto assets after learning about it through a WhatsApp group. The group members instructed the consumer how to engage in “margin” trading and provided trading signals they claimed would enable to consumer to make profitable trades. But, when the platform issued a purportedly fabricated margin call, the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being contacted by an individual online who asked to move the conversation to a messaging platform. After forming a relationship, the “friend” brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets, and introduced the victim to a crypto asset trading platform located at b2c2-amm.com, saying they could engage in “joint-investing” where the “friend” would match whatever amount the victim…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports that after losing some crypto assets they received a letter from an “attorney” who claimed to work for a prominent law firm which could help recover the lost crypto assets. The “attorney” referred the resident to a “technician” in the firm, who told the resident to deposit some crypto assets into an account so the law firm could ensure that the transaction was not money laundering.…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports about their experience with an online crypto asset platform Lexor finance, located at webfinance.io. The resident saw a Facebook ad that claimed to be linked to a well-known CEO and said the platform used AI to help investors. Believing the ad, the resident sent funds to the bitcoin wallet address bc1qch8azpgn4vnykfmp2sqn8tlxw08z2xgk433jep. The victim reports they were not able to…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with fraudulent platform, https://h5.miycoin.com/. The victim reports that they received a WhatsApp message to join a group where the group members would send trading signals. Following the group's instructions, the victim used h5.myicoin.com for cryptocurrency trading. After engaging in multiple trades, a person named “Professor Ivelyn” on the WhatsApp group…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports viewing a YouTube video which touted a crypto asset trading platform operating at owallet.com for trading. The victim opened an account on owallet.com and transferred some crypto assets to sell there. But when the victim tried to withdraw their funds, the platforms’s customer service rep said their account was frozen and demanded they deposit $25,000 in their owallet account to…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being contacted by a blogger promoting a crypto asset coin. The blogger invited the victim to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform, Global Capitals at https://app.globalcapitalsgc.com, and convinced the victim to transfer funds into their account to trade for profits. The victim did so, and believed they were making profits trading along with the blogger. But when the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports seeing an ad on Instagram that when clicked on, led them to the Telegram group, “SB Signal Sniper”. The group was led by a “Professor” and “Assistant” who said they would provide trade signals to the group which could be profitable, if they opened an account and traded on the crypto asset trading platform operating at https://coingrocer.net/. The victim opened an account on the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual online named "Aileen" and beginning a relationship. Aileen told the resident how their aunt was a successful investor that owned properties in France and Croatia. At some point Aileen steered the conversation to investing in crypto assets, and suggested the victim start a “blockchain savings plan” on the crypto asset trading platform located at web3app.rest,…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform at goldmarketer.net, which they heard about from someone they met on WhatsApp. Following the WhatsApp friend’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and deposited funds to trade for a profit. But when the victim tried to withdraw their funds, the platform demanded they pay “taxes”. The victim is unable to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met an individual on Tinder named "Ting" and began a relationship. At some point, Ting convinced the victim to Invest money on the crypto asset staking platform, www.amerany.com/farms. Following Ting's instructions, the victim opened a cold crypto wallet and deposited funds onto the platform. After a while, the victim’s funds were frozen on the platform, and their wallet was…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining the “NV Prime Club” online, in order to invest in “STRADX Strategic Derivatives”., located at app.stradxdatalake.com. After a while, the website demanded that the victim to invest additional funds. The victim refused, and the platform froze their money and demanded $105,0000 to release the funds. The victim has not been able to withdraw their funds from the platform, and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, AxioraSwap.io, which they tried to use to swap some crypto assets for a different token, but never received the swapped tokens. The resident has been unable to recover their funds and the platform is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report about their experience with two fraudulent platforms, official-xai.com and https://xai-network.com/home/. The first victim reports that they watched a video that linked to the “xAI token” presale on official-xai.com. The victim reports that they saw a fake video of “Elon Musk” talking about the coin which led them to believe that the offering was legitimate. The victim then…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports about their experience using the crypto asset trading platform Cointrust.cc operating at https://cointrust1.cc/. After making two deposits to the platform in crypto, the resident was then unable to access or withdraw their funds from the platform. The website is no longer operational. All told, the resident lost more than $2,400. The resident reports sending ETH to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached online by someone who eventually introduced them to the crypto asset trading platform OSL operating at www.oslvsap.vip. The online friend told the victim they could make large profits on the platform. The victim started with a small investment. Over time, the online friend encouraged the victim to deposit more money on the platform, and at one point, believed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported their experience with the crypto asset trading platform Bitfarms operating at https://web.bitfarms.top. After depositing funds on the platform, the victim was able to engage in several successful transactions. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the platform demanded they pay a “mining fee”. The victim paid, but then the platform demanded they pay a “tax bill.” The victim has…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports about their experience with an online crypto asset trading platform operating at Invescoin.com. The consumer opened an account on the platform, deposited funds, and the platform appeared to show that the victim earned significant profits. But when the victim tried to withdraw their funds, Invescoin did not respond. The consumer has not recovered any funds. The website is no longer in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports about their experience with the crypto asset platform operating at firepin.io. The consumer was led to believe they could purchase a new crypto asset token before it went public. The consumer deposited funds on firepin.io to purchase the token but later requested a refund and received no response. The consumer has not recovered any funds, and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted via LinkedIn and Whatsapp by an individual claiming they could make quick, profitable investments using the crypto asset trading platform YCBIT operating on the website ycbit.com. The resident created and funded an account on the platform and after trading there, believed their account had grown in value. But when the resident tried to withdraw funds, the website…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating on the website kakucoin.com. After creating and funding an account on the platform, the resident believed his account was growing in value. But when the victim tried to make a withdrawal, the site demanded they deposit additional funds first. The victim did so, but was still unable to withdraw funds. The resident…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents report on their experience with a crypto asset venture operating on the website etfswappresale.com. They report the site offered initial coin offerings (ICO’s). But after they deposited funds on the website to invest in the ICO’s, they didn’t get the coins, nor could they get their money back. One victim reported that all their crypto assets were transferred out of their crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform operating at stocks-finance.com. After trading on the site, and believing they had made profits, the victim tried to make a withdrawal from their account for an emergency. The platform's customer service first advised the customer to wait a day, then told them their account had been closed or switched to a different crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California residents reports meeting “Dylan” on a dating app who suggested they move their conversations to WhatsApp. At some point, Dylan brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets. Dylan convinced the victim to open an account on the trading platform operating at 2bridgeio.com and sell some of their other investments to transfer funds onto that platform. The victim deposited funds on 2bridgeio.com and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple people report on their experiences with a crypto asset trading platform operating at the website usdcbtc.cc: A California victim was introduced to the site through a WhatsApp group called “Star Navigation Capital”. The group was led by a trading guru “Jason” and his assistant “Caroline”. At first, Jason and Caroline gave stock tips, but after a few weeks, Jason encouraged group members to trade ICOs…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with a purported crypto asset trading platform operating on the website https://web3.rfolmax.com/. The resident transferred assets to fund an account on the platform and was initially able to withdraw a small amount from their account. However, after believing they had made profits trading crypto assets, when they tried to make another withdrawal, the platform…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two California residents reported about their experiences investing on the crypto asset trading platform Up-Business. The first victim was approached by “Raddy” on Facebook who suggested they continue their conversations on WhatsApp. Over time, Raddy began introducing the resident to crypto asset trading and eventually convinced the resident to invest with Raddy on the trading platform, located at the website…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports investing funds on the crypto asset platform Tensorium but has not been successful in getting the funds returned despite requests. The website is no longer operational. All told the victim lost $30,000.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer joined a WhatsApp group called “Morgan Club,” where members posted trading signals to make profitable investments. The group encouraged the victim to open an “institutional account” on a platform called Union Maga or unionmaga.com. Encouraged by the group members posting messages about large trading gains, the victim deposited funds onto the platform. After a month or so, the victim believed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted via WhatApp by an individual claiming to be part of an exclusive investment group. The individual said the victim could make money investing on the crypto asset platform Wealth Firms hosted at wealthfrontes.com. Following the individual’s instructions, the victim opened an account, transferred funds began to invest on the platform. Over several months the victim made…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they lost over $2.2 million to a fake crypto trading platform called XSWUS.net. The victim says they were introduced to the platform by someone they met on Facebook, who they believed to be a romantic partner. The victim believed they had earned almost $4 million trading on the platform. However, they have not been able to recover their money.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports investing funds on the crypto asset platform Zenmev.com which advertised it provided MEV staking service. Then the victim’s Zenmev.com X account was deleted from the platform and the website is no longer operational. All told the victim lost more than $550,000
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset trading platform operating at the web address bynoxdex.com. The resident transferred crypto assets to the platform but now the website is no longer operational. The victim has not been able to recover their funds.
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual named “Jack” who claimed he had developed a trading mechanism using AI that guaranteed profitable trades 100% of the time. Jack told the victim about a futures exchange trading platform, Hrdebit, operating at hrdebit.com where he would trade bitcoin for the both of them. Following Jack’s instructions, the victim set up an account and deposited funds, believing…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California consumer was approached online by “Amundi TM” who claimed to be a broker representing an investment firm. The alleged broker encouraged the consumer to access to a trading platform at amundi-ltd.com and then offered “margin loans” to facilitate larger trades. After the larger trades appeared to yield profit, the broker demanded the victim repay the margin loan by wiring funds from their bank, rather…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were contacted on Instagram by a stranger, who eventually asked that they move the conversations to WhatsApp. At some point, the stranger introduced them to Crypto futures trading on fraudulent platform, ApolloX, operating at the website apolloxxap.com. The victim invested, and believed they were making profitable trades, but when they to withdraw their funds, the ApolloX…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports watching a YouTube livestream featuring a prominent CEO who claimed that if one sent crypto to certain wallet addresses through bitcoin25.io, the site would send back double the amount. The consumer sent the crypto assets to the wallet but has not recovered any funds and the site is no longer in operation. The consumer sent Ethereum to the following address:…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports watching a video that claimed to feature a well-known crypto asset personality who said they could make money investing funds on the crypto asset platform Denoex, at www.denoex.com. The victim opened an account on the platform and believed they had successfully made several trades. But then the platform notified the victim their account was being flagged as at risk for money…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were invited to Homescnl.com via video conference with an individual who claimed to be the CEO of the company. During the call, the CEO said it made money in California real estate by buying properties at below market prices, remodeling them, and selling them at a profit to pay investors – a practice known as “flipping.” The CEO said it paid investors twice a week and also…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer met “Lily” on a dating app who asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp. After discussing their shared interest in early retirement, Lily brought up the topic of trading crypto options. Shortly thereafter, the consumer received a text message from a purported crypto trading platform called bitsorcoinss.com which offered deposit-matching bonuses for opening an account. Lily pressed the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on an online dating app who introduced them to crypto trading website, https://www.atomexc.com/. The resident deposited money onto https://www.atomexc.com/ and believed that the balance in their account was growing. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, the platform demanded they pay a “tax”. The resident paid the “tax” but then the platform demanded an…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports on their experience trying to buy a crypto token called “Propichain” ($PCHAIN), on the website propichain.finance. The victim sent money to Propichain but never received any tokens. When the victim complained to Propichain’s customer support team, their login credentials were blocked. The victim has not been able to recover any of their money and the website is no longer operational. All…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on an international dating app, Bumpy. After talking for a few months, the individual encouraged the resident to start investing on crypto asset trading platform, btc01.org. The website is no longer operational. The victim reports losing more than $46,000.
Official DFPI entry ↗A California consumer discovered Crypto-Networks.net through a promotional YouTube video and decided to use the platform to invest in cryptocurrency. After making a few small deposits that appeared to work, the consumer deposited more crypto assets. Following that deposit, the platform abruptly froze the consumer’s account. When the consumer contacted support, the platform demanded they upgrade to “Titan Status”…
Official DFPI entry ↗Five California residents report on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform Lencoin, which operated on the website www.h5.lencoin.vip. The residents all learned about Lencoin from visiting the website, wealthtutor.com, where a person named “Clark” discussed opportunities to make big profits by investing in crypto coins and using trade signals through Telegram or Whatsapp groups. Clark directed the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports about the experience with the so-called investment education platform, “Digital Finance Academy” which offered access to a “Trader Incubation Program” called the “Stable Trading System 6.0 investment system”. To participate in the program, the resident paid $50,000 in crypto assets, believing they could net 300% through the issuance of a crypto asset Academy Token (“STS”). Digital…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident was contacted via social media and WhatsApp by “Samiya” who claimed to be associated with a well-known investment firm based in San Diego. Samiya promised high returns from investing in crypto and told the victim to download a crypto wallet app. Samiya then provided instructions on how to open an account on pzmqgow.top and send funds to the platform from the wallet app encouraged the victim…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on an online dating app who introduced them to short-term crypto asset trading. The individual encouraged the resident to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform, stdubrye.top to begin trading. At the direction of the individual, the victim deposited money onto the platform to begin trading. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, the platform…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports about their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, VOEX or Voexe. The resident reports that the platform promised a reward of 118,888 USDT if investor deposits exceeded one million by a certain date. When the victim was unable to meet the deadline, Voexe deducted 100,000 USDT from the victim’s account, and demanded even more funds if the victim wanted to withdraw the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports seeing an Instagram profile whose "bio" displayed a promo code for the BitexOne.com, purportedly offering 0.12 BTC to sign up with the code ABTC12, with the Instagram account featuring various photos of Elon Musk. The resident visited the site, provided their personal information, but did not receive the promised crypto assets. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the purported crypto asset trading platform on the website https://www.xcrypto.global/xcrypto/. The victim deposited crypto assets on the platform in order to trade, but when they tried to withdraw their funds, the website blocked it. The resident has been unable to recover any of their funds and the website is no longer operational. All told, the victim lost…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports learning about the crypto asset trading platform, YSPA Crypto (https://wap.yspacrypto.co), from “Lena” who claimed she would provide trading signals to make profits. Further, Lena said that the more money the resident put into YSPA Crypto, the higher they would be ranked. But when the victim began trading, their account showed a loss. The victim told Lena, who then disappeared. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were contacted on Facebook by someone asking if they would like to invest in cryptocurrency. After viewing the individual’s Facebook profile, filled with testimonials from other individuals purchasing new cars and houses crediting the platform, the resident reached out saying they were interested. The individual instructed the victim how to open an account to begin trading…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report about their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, CBMWW, operating at wwww.cbmww.com. The first California resident indicated they were messaged on Facebook by someone claiming to be a crypto investor. The Facebook investor asked to move the conversations over to WhatsApp, and then presented an investment opportunity involving bitcoin trades, promising high returns.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports encountering a crypto coin offering offered at the web domain, Tesladigital.us. The website touted plans to go public, but continually push back the coin’s anticipated launch date. At one point, the website claimed there were only two days left to purchase “Teslacoin” (TES) as an early investor before it would close for 6 months. The victim decided to invest at $0.95 a share. Later…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, Octal Capital, at octal-capital.com. The resident started with a small investment of less than $200 and believed the account grew to more than $83,000 on the platform. But when the victim tried withdraw their funds, a representative from the platform said they needed to purchase additional “programs” before they could make a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on a dating app who then suggested moving the conversation to WhatsApp where their relationship developed. At some point, the individual convinced the victim to invest in a crypto asset trading platform, at Hikkod.com. Following the individual’s instruction, the victim opened an account and transferred money to the platform. The individual claimed to have hired…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted via telegram about the crypto asset platform, globalcryptous.com. The victim invested over $900,000. But, when the victim tried to withdraw the funds, the platform demanded a “gas fee” of $45,000. The victim has been unable to recover their funds. The website is not operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer was introduced to short-term crypto asset trading by a person calling themselves Caroline. Following Caroline’s instructions, the victim transferred crypto assets from their wallet to an online crypto trading platform called Dex Defi, located at www.dex-defi.com. After some time, the consumer thought they were making trading profits. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the platform’s…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports on their experience with the crypto trading platform called GCRA, or gcra2024.com. Believing that they had earned profits trading in their account, the consumer requested a withdrawal. But GCRA customer service demanded a 10% margin deposit of $800 before it would release funds. The consumer deposited $800, but the withdrawal was never processed. The site is no longer in operation,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer was contacted via WhatsApp by “Chris,” who claimed he worked as an engineer and traded crypto assets on the side. Chris instructed the consumer to install a Wallet app and add the platform bkchaintops.com. Over the course of two months, the consumer wired assets to an international bank in Vietnam to invest on the platform. Initial small deposits appeared to yield returns, encouraging the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience investing in an online commodity company called Cometa Global Limited operating at https://[email protected]. After investing on the company’s online platform, the resident tried to make a withdrawal. The platform demanded they pay a “security risk management fee”. Despite paying the fee on multiple occasions, the resident has yet been able to withdraw any funds.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Yilin” online, who promised an investment opportunity for “electric gold”, a type of digital gold currency. Following Yilin’s instructions, the resident wired money to the Fraudulent Trading Platform “CWG Main”. At one point, the resident believed their account had grown to approximately $289,000 on the platform. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the platform demanded…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A resident received a brokerage company advertisement via social media. After responding to the advertisement, ”Anastasia” contacted the victim via WhatsApp claiming to be an advisor and convinced them to join the trading platform, fourgearstools.com. “Alexy” contacted the victim on WhatsApp claiming to be an advisor for “fourgearstools.com”. Following Alexey’s instructions, the victim transferred crypto assets…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports receiving an email from “Mr. Benjamin” who claimed to be part of a finance team for an investment company called CBESX. The victim responded, and Mr. Benjamin instructed the victim how to open an account on the CBESX platform at https://cbesx.com/ to trade crypto assets. The victim sent money to the account and began trading, and at one point, believed their account had grown to more…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two California consumers report on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform crypto-rd.top. The first victim was introduced to cryptocurrency trading by an acquaintance who directed them to a DeFi Wallet platform located at Crypto-rd.top. The victim opened an account on the platform and began trading. But when the victim tried to access their funds, the platform demanded multiple fees including a…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports they were contacted by Diana via WhatsApp, who offered them a job as a freelance crypto asset miner for the RIOT Blockchain platform, with no restrictions or set schedule and the ability to work remotely. The victim accepted the offer, completed all their training and was ready to begin working as a miner. At that point, the platform demanded the victim deposit their own funds first.…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident met “Lin” through WhatsApp who steered the conversation to investing in crypto assets. Lin directed the victim to the crypto asset trading platform, CBOTBIT, located at https://cbotbit.com and showed them how to open an account and transfer funds. Following Lin’s instructions for trading, the victim believed their account had grown substantially. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian reports on a crypto asset trading site known as “Cypo”, located at eth-cryp.com. The victim was introduced to the site by a woman they met on a dating app. The woman communicated with the victim on WhatsApp and also had several video calls with the victim. In the calls, the woman showed the victim her crypto investment strategy, which she claimed would work whether crypto prices went up or down. The…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset company, BiveCoin, which uses the web address bive-coinrhub.top. The resident invested funds in the company but has since been unable to get in contact with a representative or recover any invested funds. The website is no longer operational.
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platforms, Crypto Chain and Coindf. The individual deposited money on both platforms and believed they were successfully trading crypto assets. But when the victim attempted to withdraw funds, the platform demanded they pay ”taxes” of 30% before they could withdraw their funds. All told the victim lost more than $1 million. The…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports seeing an Instagram ad for a WhatsApp group that engaged in crypto asset trading. The resident engaged with the group and met an online “advisor” who directed them to a crytpo asset trading platform located at https://www.idghc.com. Following the advisor’s instructions, the resident opened an account on the platform and began trading. But then the victim received an email stating…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform C2C TG DEX, located at https://www.TGDEXCustomerService.com. The first victim reports they were contacted by an individual through Telegram. Over time the individual gained the victim’s trust. At some point the individual steered the conversation to investing, claiming to be an investment advisor associated with a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that an individual reached out to them on Instagram. The individual showed the victim their account statements from the crypto asset trading platform, capnovas.com, and claimed they had earned large profits trading on the platform. The individual said the victim could receive large profits too if they copied their trading method. The individual put the victim in touch with a “Trading…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were a victim of an investment scam involving the entity Spark Capital, which sought “testers” for a software program called SPARK PPAP Wisdom System that purported to deliver AI-powered cryptocurrency trading signals. The California resident reports seeing ads for an AI cryptocurrency software company on Facebook. The company, Spark Capital, was looking for “testers” of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports they found a Facebook group called Seeds for Wealth Alliance (SWA)which claimed to be a crypto advising agency that worked with the crypto platform Roycoin. Someone from the Facebook group reached out to the victim and instructed them to how to download a app called RCN Hub to set up an account and trade. The victim started with small deposits and reportedly saw their account grow…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident met “Caroline” online who directed them to a WhatsApp investing group chat led by “Matthew” who claimed to work for a well-known investment company. Matt sent global financial news to the group daily and regularly provide trade signals for the group to follow on the crypto asset trading platform WPAKE located at https://www.wpake.top/. Matt also advised the group to “FT Coin” and invest in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports on a crypto mining platform called, “neweraiscoming.tech” that promised 10% daily returns to investors. The victim joined the site’s “VIP pool” for a month, during which they believed they could stake their crypto assets to make money. The victim sent $100,000 to the site for staking. The victim believed that the staking process made them over $1.3 million. When the victim tried to withdraw,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports a site called “muhus.com” that offered a promotional reward of 0.33 Bitcoin to new users. However, when the victim joined, they did not receive the free Bitcoin. Instead, they were repeatedly asked to send money to the site. The victim never received the free Bitcoin as advertised. The site is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the website https://x-aitokens.net/presale, which they believed was backed by high-profile individuals. The victim sent $857.61 worth of crypto assets to a wallet address, but did not receive what they purchased. The individual has been unable to recover their funds, and the website is not operational. Bitcoin Wallet Address:…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their encounter with the crypto asset trading group, Gemini Pro X, located at geminiprom.com, which they discovered on WhatsApp. The trading group asked the victim to deposit crypto assets onto the platform to begin trading. Following the group’s advice, the victim believed they had doubled their money. The victim attempted to trade on their own through the platform, but was…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian resident reports on their experience with a crypto asset exchange operating on the web address LoomExpress.com. The resident held funds in an account there, but when they tried to withdraw some, representatives from LoomExpress demanded various fees and taxes. The resident has not recovered any of their original invested funds. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the TSAI crypto asset exchange which operated on the website techstarvoip.com. The resident learned about TSAI through WhatsApp, opened an account on the exchange, and transferred crypto assets to a wallet address. TSAI Exchange collected the resident’s personal identifying information such as emails, addresses, and phone numbers. The resident has been unable…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual through the app TikTok, who convinced the resident to invest in cryptocurrency on a crypto asset exchange operating on the website horizonprofinancial.com. After depositing funds and trading, the resident attempt to withdraw, but the platform (Horizon Pro Financial) denied the request, stating that a fee was required. To date, the resident has not recovered any…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California consumers report on their experiences with a company called Noel Crypto Investment, which promised they would return ten times on an investment within six months. The first consumer opened an account and invested money. But as the payout date approached, the company demanded that the consumer deposit more money before it would release the funds. The consumer declined to make the additional payment.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being invited to an online investment group called the Summit Wealth Investment Education Foundation by “Pedro” and “Emily” who promised they could earn profits trading in crypto assets if they opened an account on the crypto asset trading platform Strike Chain Inc. Following Pedro and Emily’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and signed an investment…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two California residents report on their experience with a fraudulent crypto asset exchange operating at AELs-Exchange.com. The first victim reports seeing an ad on Instagram inviting people to join a WhatsApp group claiming to help group members make money through trading, based on signals of someone claiming to work for a well known investment company. Following the group members’ instructions, the victim…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two California residents report on the experience with the crypto trading platform operating at alpha2iota.com. The first resident reports being invited online by “Quinn” to a WhatsApp group led by “Professor Smith”. In the group chat, Professor Smith claimed he had an AI trading tool and wanted the group to do beta testing before he brought it to market through an IPO. He also claimed to be developing an “ASI”…
Official DFPI entry ↗The second resident was also contacted by “Quinn” who invited them to participate in group chats on WhatsApp and Telegram led by representatives of a trading education center called Alpha at alpha2iota.com. Quinn advised the resident to download the “CBP” trading app and transferred money to the platform through their crypto asset wallets. Quinn then directed the resident to join a trading program called “200%…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian reports being introduced to the crypto trading site at morgarbits.com by a chat group on WhatsApp. After participating in the chat group, the victim invested $10,000 in crypto on the MorgarBits site. Over time, the victim believed their balance had increased to over $50,000. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, a representative for the site said the account was under “SEC control” and…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two consumers have reported their experiences with the crypto trading platform www.dimensionvip.com. The first consumer was approached by “Ryan” about an investment opportunity. Ryan instructed the victim to open an account on the platform, after which the consumer began trading. But when the victim tried to withdraw their funds, the platform demanded they deposit additional funds to get their money back. The…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, https://cryptomo.net. The victim reports they tried to withdraw funds from their account on the platform, but was asked for an additional deposit, to verify the wallet before it would unlock the account. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports about their experience with the crypto asset trading site, CoinKing, at conxio.com. The victim created an account on CoinKing and provided a picture of their ID to open the account. After depositing and trading their funds, the victim believed they had made over $50,000. However, when they tried to withdraw some funds, a CoinKing customer service rep told them there was an “advanced…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported encountering a crypto trading WhatsApp group on Facebook. Following the group’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the crypto asset trading platform, https://taimhex.cc. However, after believing they had earned substantial profits, the resident attempted to withdraw money but was unsuccessful. All told they lost more than $1,000. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading app, TBAAPro.com, which they learned about from a community on WhatsApp that gave advice about investing in crypto. The WhatsApp group, AWC-K154 Wealth Creators, was led by administrators who claimed to be part of a brokerage company called Tech Brokerage Asset Alliance (TBAA) and claimed to be licensed with the Securities and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports meeting an individual identifying himself as Professor Dolan and his assistants, Denise and Katie, on WhatsApp. Dolan claimed he would teach the group about cryptocurrency for free for two months, after which he would charge a 20% fee. He and his team sent daily trading signals and encouraged members to invest through a crypto asset trading platform called BitiCrypto.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗After observing for a few weeks, the consumer decided to begin trading by following the signals. Katie regularly checked in, offering help and encouraging the consumer to make larger deposits on the platform. Other group members convinced the consumer that they too were making money following Dolan’s advice. In September 2024, Dolan launched a “Joint Trade Wealth Multiplication Plan,” and claimed more…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports about their experience with the trading platform called BKEX (https://bkexwebs.com/p/m). The victim believed they had a balance of around $100,000 in their account on the platform. When they tried to withdraw funds from the platform to their bank account, the platform demanded they pay $10,807.92 in "prepaid taxes" on their trading profits. BKEX refused to deduct the tax from the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reported being contacted by Alice and Hermann from the "Hermann Lui Investment Club," on WhatsApp. Alice and Hermann then directed the consumer to a crypto trading platform called VIPIDO.net via the Coinbase wallet browser, promoting an IDO token project with promises of high returns for investments over $1 million. The consumer decided to invest $1 million on the platform. After the coin…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports encountering a crypto education class advertised on Facebook. After signing up for the class, the resident was then added to a WhatsApp group by the name of XW8-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society Network. An associate, Jones, helped the victim set up an account on the crypto asset platform ipye.com and told the victim she would deposit $700 of her own funds into the account. Jones subsequently…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining a crypto asset trading platform, https://cjbitvip.store/#/pages/login/login, after seeing it promoted through YouTube videos. The victim began to invest and trade. But when the victim attempted to withdraw their profits, to the platform demanded they pay certain fees to receive their profits, including $4,000 for credit repair, $3,083 to open a “large-value channel” and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached on Facebook by “Huda” who claimed to be a Senior Web Designer at a marketing agency who had expertise in trading on Trust Wallet, promising the resident significant profits if they traded with her. Following Huda’s instructions, the victim deposited money into a trading platform introduced by Huda at www.trtuner.top. Huda then claimed she had executed a short-term…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual on a dating app, who asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp. Eventually, the romantic interest told the victim they would teach how to trade cryptocurrency to earn extra income. The victim wired money to their romantic interest who showed the victim how to purchase crypto assets and to deposit into an account on the trading platform, define-gifts.com. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform, Hexminer.com. The victim believed it was a “cloud mining” company guaranteeing a return of principal plus interest to anyone who allowed them to “stake” their crypto assets. The victim staked some money to Hexminer.com. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw their staked assets, Hexminer demanded they pay “capital…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being introduced by “Ray” to the crypto asset trading platform, Bit2meprojil.com (B2MP). The B2MP platform offered various high yield investment programs in crypto based products and claimed to have cooperation agreements with major US based crypto exchanges. Following Ray’s instructions, the resident and two other investors pooled funds worth more than $1 million to engage in hyper…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports about their experience with the website https://www.bxdcrypto.net/app/#/. The resident believed that they were participating in a crypto mining endeavor through that website, but were contacted by a representative from the website who demanded they pay a fee for an unfinished crypto mining contract order. The victim paid the fee, but the website then demanded an additional “Gas fee”…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports that Olivia on WhatsApp invited them to join a crypto trading group associated with a trading platform called CryptoMMS (cryptomms.co). Additionally, Olivia told the victim that investors in a group traded crypto based on signals provided by a “Professor Parker”, and that the victim could earn profits of up to 70%. “Professor Parker” claimed to have an SEC “license” and 40+ years of…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California consumer attempted to withdraw funds from a purported crypto trading platform called crypto-trading.top. The consumer reported that the platform demanded they pay capital gains tax before it would release any deposited funds. After the consumer paid the alleged tax, the platform claimed that the consumer’s credit score had dropped and demanded additional fees to release any funds. The consumer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they sent at least $2,000 worth of crypto assets to the platform at h5.defibrrokkerweb3.cc to invest. But when they attempted to withdraw money from the platform, the platform’s customer service demanded the victim pay an “identity verification” fee and another fee to remove a high-risk warning on their account. The victim paid, but then the customer service demanded they pay 50% of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim clicked on an advertisement on Instagram to learn more about crypto asset trading. They were then contacted by Monarch Capital, which appeared to be operating through https://www.monarchcif.com/, and were directed to join a WhatsApp Group (Monarch Capital Instute i777) led by J. Robert, Jay and Emma. J. Robert told the victim they had been chosen to be part of a new algorithm test; if they deposited…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual through WeChat that represented himself as a famous model, with whom they subsequently formed a relationship. Eventually, the model brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets and taught the victim how to open an account on the website Unktlife.com and transfer crypto assets into it. At first, the victim believed they were making profits and was able to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians report about a short-term trading platform located at https://pc.tickmillgloballtd.cc/#/. The first victim reports meeting an individual through Tinder and beginning a relationship. Eventually, the Tinder friend encouraged the victim to invest in crypto assets through the platform. Following the friend’s instructions, the victim opened an account and deposited funds. But when the victim tried to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being invited to join a WhatsApp investment group led by “Mr. James” and his assistant, “Edwina.” Following their guidance, the resident created an account on the crypto asset trading platform, AINOW at cryptoainow.com, and deposited funds. Following Mr. James’ and Edwina’s advice, the victim believed their investment had grown to $30,000. Mr. James then said the victim was eligible…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being hacked after clicking a link in an email to https://withdrawal.choice-blockfi.com, believing they were gaining access to BlockFi’s refund claims program. Instead, after being prompted to enter login information to validate their crypto asset account, more than $250,000 in Polygon and Ethereum was stolen. Please note the web domain appears to be named in a manner that bears…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on their experience with the crypto trading platform at szinca.com. Over the course of a month, the resident believed they were trading crypto assets for a profit, and was even able to withdraw roughly $400 back to their account. But when they tried to make a more substantial withdrawal, the platform demanded $48,215 for fees. In total, the resident lost at least $41,000 to the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports about their experience with a crypto-forex trading site called GSG Forex, at www.forexgsg.com. The victim was introduced to the site by a Skype group called “MT4 Forex Trading Million Dollar Club”, within which an individual claiming to be a trading guru named James and his assistant Nina gave forex trading signals to traders. Nina helped the victim create an account on the GSG Forex…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about their experience with multiple crypto asset trading platforms, including bybtcoim-vip.top, zaifusw.com, and nextran.top. First, the victim met Lisa online who claimed to live in New York City. Lisa introduced the victim to the trading platform bybtcoim. Following Lisa’s instructions, the victim opened an account and transferred funds to trade. At one point, the victim believed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California consumers report on their experience with the crypto asset trading platform Bitagold. The first consumer was contacted by an individual on a social media messaging platform who claimed to offer guidance on making profits through cryptocurrency options trading, specifically involving Ethereum (ETH). The individual directed the consumer to the "Bitagold" platform accessible via the websites ghfyrh.ac…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report about their experiences with the FRTCNE Limited crypto asset trading platform. The first resident reports being contacted through Whatsapp by Moses who promised them they could teach them to make money trading crypto assets. Moses helped the victim open an account on the trading platform operating at https://www.frtcnet.live, and then instructed them how to purchase crypto assets…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about a family member who was contacted by a stranger on their cell phone and ended up engaging in conversation on WhatsApp. At some point, the stranger introduced the victim to the crypto asset trading platform, Goomarket LLC, at https://goomarketllc.info. The stranger convinced the victim to open an account on the platform and deposit funds to begin trading. Over time, the victim…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian reports clicking on an Instagram ad offering online crypto asset trading services and “guaranteed profits” through the trading platform, Bond Finance at bondltdfinance.com. Shortly after clicking on the ad, “Grigory” contacted the victim and said a financial analyst named “Alexander” would work with them. Alexander helped the victim create an account on the Bond Finance platform and instructed them…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports joining a WhatsApp group where they were advised to create an account on a purported cryptocurrency exchange at aqcanqop.com. The resident, believing acqcanqop.com was a legitimate exchange, invested approximately $125,000 worth of crypto assets. Their account on the exchange initially reflected the amount they invested and the trade activity they were conducting. However, when the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports joining an investment group via social media and investing in crypto assets on the platform found at exmocoinpro.com. The victim believed they were making profitable trades and that their account had grown to more than $300,000. But when they tried to withdraw their funds, the platform demanded they pay “taxes” and “Commissions”. The victim has been unable to withdraw their funds,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about the crypto asset trading platform called “Mal-Designer.” The victim opened an account to begin trading on the platform and believed they were making profits. But when they tried to access their funds, the platform demanded they deposit $20,000. The victim could not pay and has been unable to recover their money. All told, the victim lost $6,000.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being contacted by “Steve Atkinson”. “Steve” told the victim that he works for the Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI) and instructed the victim to pay a percentage in crypto assets to fix a wire transfer issue in one of the victim’s accounts. There is no such individual working at DFPI nor would the DFPI ask the public to send crypto assets to fix a wire transfer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗An anonymous person reports using an app at cp-berage.com after discovering the app through someone on Facebook who promoted the app as a place to invest in crypto using “AI arbitrage.” Subsequently, the individual invested funds on the app and believed their investment was growing. However, the individual was barred from withdrawing any funds until they paid a supposed tax. The individual has not recovered any…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports their family member was contacted by someone on WhatsApp who claimed to be interested in professional services. Over time, the WhatsApp contact cultivated a friendship with the victim and eventually persuaded them to invest in crypto assets. The “friend” showed the victim how to purchase crypto assets and transfer them to the crypto asset trading platform Taurus Chain. The victim believed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by “Kevin” on a popular dating app, claiming to be an investor in real estate, stocks, and cryptocurrency, as well as an IT manager and Director of Operations at a major intentional hotel chain. After offering to teach the resident how to trade crypto, Kevin led the resident to send funds to the fraudulent trading platform, Zipmexpro, at https://zipmexpro.com.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports about a crypto asset platform located on the website conndir.com, which they believed was associated with a “professional crypto day trader” on Instagram named “Julieta”. The victim contacted Julieta after seeing a post on Instagram claiming she made $40,000 trading crypto asset. Julieta replied and promised the victim she could make money for them using her proprietary crypto trading…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they were searching online for help with issues with their Theta Fuel tokens and were contacted on the Telegram Theta Network-Support channel by “Ayden” and “Andre,” who directed them to the website, https://node-merge.com claiming they could solve the problem. Instead, Ayden and Andre, using node-merge.com as a tool, convinced the victim to reveal their cold storage wallet seed words and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports creating an account on the online crypto asset trading platform bitstake.su to invest in cryptocurrency. But when the victim tried to withdraw their profits, the website demanded they pay fees. The victim paid the fees but still could not withdraw their profits. The victim has been unable to recover any of their funds from the platform and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Cole” on a popular dating app, who asked to move their conversations to text message where they developed a relationship. At some point, Cole introduced the victim to crypto asset trading and instructed them to open an account on the crypto asset trading platform located at https://jex.newcrypto-hub.com/#/. Cole guided the victim through the process of making deposits and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about their experience with the crypto asset trading platform located at lbbwq.com. Through the platform, the victim was given investment advice and promised guaranteed returns. The victim then opened an account and transferred crypto assets to the platform. But the victim has not been able to withdraw any of their funds. All told, the victim lost $81,634.75.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were invited to join a WhatsApp group that engaged in crypto assets investing. “Helen” messaged the victim to create an account on the crypto asset trading platform XS Coins and instructed the victim on how to purchase crypto assets to begin trading on the platform. Over time, the victim believed they were making profitable trades. But when the victim attempted to withdraw money…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer met "Tina” via WhatsApp and WeChat, who introduced them to a crypto asset trading platform, Abnas Global. Tina provided links to Abnas Global at https://www.abnasglobal.com/#/home/modal and https://abnasglobal.cc/#/pc/trade. Tina also told the victim to download an app for the platform. Following Tina’s instructions, the victim downloaded the app, opened an account on the platform,…
Official DFPI entry ↗A Californian reported about DYDX Wallet (dydxgroup.com). The victim was introduced to DYDX Wallet by someone they met on a social media platform named “Nathan” who claimed to be a financial consultant offering free financial advice. Nathan invited the victim to a WhatsApp group where he and his assistant Amy shared trading advice with his followers. Nathan and Amy convinced followers to set up trading accounts…
Official DFPI entry ↗Two Californians report about the crypto asset trading app, MIC Markets, at micmarkfx.com. The first victim was introduced to MIC Markets by someone they met online. The online acquaintance persuaded the victim to deposit $45,000 into a trading account on MIC Markets. Over time, the victim believed they had doubled their money trading crypto assets. At first, the victim was able to withdraw small amounts of money…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports meeting Mr. Michael and his assistant Nancy through WhatsApp. At some point, Mr. Michael and Nancy offered to teach the victim how to trade crypto assets on the trading platformcptlimily.com. The victim followed their instructions to open an account and deposit funds onto the platform. Within a week, the victim believed they had doubled their money. Then Mr. Michael and Nancy…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident was approached on Instagram by Moneybynora, who claimed to be an investment advisor. Moneybynora convinced the resident to invest crypto assets on the trading platform, Xperiatrade.com, claiming they would be able to generate profits. Following Moneybynora’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and began trading. But, when they attempted to withdraw funds from the…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California consumer reports that the website Presalexaitoken.com offered a 50% bonus in XAI coins in exchange for Bitcoin. The victim sent 0.1 BTC over the site. When the victim tried to claim the bonus, the site showed an automated response that read "Our team is offline." The victim has not been able to recover their Bitcoin. This is not to be confused with the gaming-based digital asset, XAI, developed by…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports a stranger named “Johanna“ sent them a friend request on Facebook. Johanna claimed to work for Citibank in Brooklyn, New York as an investment broker. After chatting through Facebook, Johnna asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp. At some point Johanna convinced the victim to try crypto asset trading. Johanna helped the victim open an account on the crypto asset trading site…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by an individual through WhatsApp and presented with the opportunity to invest money to earn profits on the crypto asset trading platform Bitnice, located at bit-nice.com. Following the stranger’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and deposited crypto assets onto the platform. After a while, the victim’s account showed they had made profits.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports seeing a TikTok video of what they believed to be a popular YouTube personality. The YouTuber claimed to be giving away free Bitcoin on moonxbeast.com. After creating an account on the site and using a promo code from the video, the consumer believed some Bitcoin had been deposited in their account. But when they tried to withdraw the Bitcoin, the site said they needed to send $50…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports hearing about the crypto asset trading platform, costmictop.cc, through an online community. The resident opened an account, deposited funds, and believed they were making profitable trades. They were even able to withdraw $5,000 from their account. But when they tried to withdraw additional funds, the platform demanded they pay $26,000 for “commissions”. The resident paid, but the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Resident reports interacting with a well know YouTuber, “Rich.” “Rich” sent the victim a link to a website and promised they would airdrop a certain crypto asset token. The victim attempted to login through the link to get their token. But instead, their crypto hard wallet was hacked and they lost $7,855. The victim reached out to “Rich” who said their wallet wasn’t hacked, someone had just staked…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports sending crypto assets worth $800 to a crypto asset trading platform, https://x-presale.io/, believing they were going to be able to obtain “X” tokens. The resident has not received any money back and the website is no longer operational
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports opening an account on the trading platform, Bit-jet.com, which they believed was an investment firm. Unaware that Bit-jet.com was a fraudulent platform, the victim transferred $10,000 and was unable recover any funds.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining a WhatsApp group chat led by a professor, John who introduced the group to a crypto asset trading platform, CLFCOIN, that had AI trading applications. Following the group’s instructions, the victim opened an account on the platform and deposited funds. John encouraged the group to follow his trading signals to earn profits. At one point, the victim believed their account had…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining the investment chat group “Turek Stock Research Club,” led by “Mr. Turek” who claimed to be a financial professional and purported to have a team of professional analysts that would analyze the market and make trading recommendations. Mr. Turek introduced the group to the trading platform, Coin Online, and said if they opened an account and transferred crypto assets to the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by “Wayne” on LinkedIn. After some conversation, Wayne suggested to move the conversations over to Facebook Messenger and over time the relationship developed into a romantic one. At some point, Wayne brought up the idea of investing in crypto and introduced the victim to the trading platform, Qexbit.org. Wayne showed the victim how to open an account on the platform…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting someone on a dating app and developing a relationship, eventually continuing their conversations over the phone. At some point, the friend introduced a crypto asset trading website called Bridgewater-gh.com, claiming to have relatives who were successful investors that could help the victim make money. The victim sent money to the website, but soon after became suspicious of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports contacting “John” through the messaging app called KakaoTalk, mistakenly believing they were reaching out to a family member who shared the same name. They moved the conversations to text and video messages and developed a relationship. John claimed to work at a private equity firm in a division that focuses on crypto trading, and encouraged the victim to invest in cryptocurrency,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using a cryptocurrency platform operating on the website h5.globalmalcoin.net. Despite multiple attempts to withdraw their money, the victim was ultimately unable to recover their funds. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident accessed a website at bits-controle.top after being led to believe they could get crypto assets from a bitcoin mining operation. But when they paid fees to get the coins, they never got any. The website is on longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported meeting “Li” on the WhasApp messaging app. Li claimed to be a manager at a cosmetic firm from Seattle, Washington. After several months of communication, Li persuaded the resident to trade gold futures using the cryptocurrency Tether on a purported crypto asset exchange called AXS.US, at asxcw.net. Following Li’s instruction, the resident wired money to a bank account in Vietnam in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident joined the NAS Community on Telegram and WhatsApp, purportedly created to share advice on cryptocurrency contract trading. The community was led by “Montgomery” who boasted about profits he made using an AI System to trade on crypto asset exchange called CoinFee AI. Montgomery promised the community they could make a 300% return and guaranteed he would cover any losses. The victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports on the crypto asset exchange at leedsbrokerages.com they learned about from a trusted TikTok video creator. Representatives from the exchange guided the resident through setting up a crypto wallet and transferring it to the exchange. The resident believed their account balance was steadily growing. But when they tried to withdraw funds, exchange representatives demanded additional…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports receiving a text message from a stranger named “Sandy.” After some conversation, Sandy suggested they move their conversations over to WhatsApp where their relationship developed. At some point, Sandy brought up crypto assets and introduced the victim to a crypto asset trading platform called Wealth Bax. Sandy instructed the victim to open an account and transfer funds to the website…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports joining a group via the Telegram app where they would learn about crypto asset trading from Mason, supposedly a partner at a well-known financial company. Following instructions provided by the group, the victim opened an account with a supposed crypto asset trading platform, tpkcoin ( also known as directcurrent) and funds. After this, the resident participated in a trading program…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports discovering a crypto asset investment group online led by a professor, Robert. Allegedly people were making revenue of 20 to 30% from their investments. Robert created a trading platform, SILD, where the entire group would trade together. The professor’s assistant, Angelina, showed the victim how to open an account on the SILD platform at sildgroup.co and make trades. The victim put…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports being contacted by someone on Instagram, which led to a romantic relationship. At some point, the romantic interest brought up the subject of investing in crypto. They helped the victim purchase crypto assets, showed them how to open an account on a crypto asset exchange at the website bitaeqcke.net, and then convinced them that their account balance was growing. But, when the victim…
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports they viewed a Live Stream on YouTube where “Elon Musk” was offering to give away $100 million in crypto assets. The Livestream provided a QR code that when scanned led to the website webelon.org. Even though the Livestream promised a giveaway, people were required to send crypto assets to the site in order to participate. All told, the victim sent $5,000 to the wallet address…
Official DFPI entry ↗The victim was contacted by “Sharon,” who claimed to be a stock broker. Sharon convinced the victim to transfer Bitcoin to the website https://capiturly.io/ for trading purposes. The victim sent bitcoin to the following address: -bc1qdv4zpss0c0c868pwp8r0nvuds5vxwa0vtha2wm. After the transfer, the victim was unable to withdraw the funds. The website is no longer in operation.
Official DFPI entry ↗A California resident reports that “Ashley” contacted them through Instagram claiming to be an experienced crypto asset investor. She mentioned Ceypro investments, and following her instructions, the victim started to invest and was told their balance was supposedly increasing. But when the victim tried to withdraw their money, Ashley said they needed to put in additional funds to do so. All told, the victim lost…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents reported their experiences investing with the crypto asset trading platform, “SAXO Group.” The first victim met someone on Facebook Messenger and later continued their conversations on WhatsApp. Their internet friend said he was investing in gold and claimed that he was advised on how to invest by his uncle. The friend instructed the victim how to download the application called SAXO…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met someone online that invited them to invest in cryptocurrency with CFX Lifestyle at cfxlifestyle.com. The minimum investment was $5,000 and the victim was promised they would earn profits, which they could withdraw after 3 months. The victim invested $5,000, but two weeks before they were supposed to be paid, the company claimed it was having issues with the IRS for not…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were solicited via Facebook by an employee of a company that operated the website www.YFIAPP.com. The employee promised the victim could earn 1%-1.8% daily on their Crypto wallet balance. The resident reports that they, alongside other investors, were instructed to transfer funds to a particular crypto wallet address as some sort of group investment. However, as soon as that…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports opening an account on the crypto asset exchange at https://bybukx.com to convert Ethereum (ETH), to Tether (USDT). But when the victim attempted to transfer the USDT back to their primary exchange, the withdrawal was blocked. The victim contacted the site’s customer support, and was told that they needed to obtain VIP status by depositing an additional 50,000 USDT, along with a 3…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Erika” on the website Next door, who suggested moving the conversation to WhatsApp. At some point, Erika turned the conversation to trading crypto assets and introduced the victim to a trading platform at 0xlayer.top, where they began trading bitcoin smart contracts together. After a time, the victim believed they made $300,000 in profits. But when the victim tried to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they were contacted by “Chen” via Instagram, who then asked them to move the conversation to WhatsApp. At some point, Chen brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets and promised to teach them how. Under Chen’s guidance, the victim purchased crypto assets and transferred them to the trading platform operating at https://mvxnft.net. After several rounds of trading under Chen’s…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining a WhatsApp group chat that engaged in bitcoin trading. An “investment teacher” named “Kaia” reached out to through a separate chat and instructed the victim how to participate in a number of trading opportunities on the crypto asset trading platform COINS, accessible via the websites coinsns.com and coinwns.com. After trading on the platform for some time, the resident…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached on Telegram by someone claiming to be a famous influencer named “Tai.” Tai offered the victim an opportunity to invest in a presale offering of the “xAI88X” coin. Following Tai’s instructions, the victim sent funds to the website, https://xai-official.org/swap, and to the wallet address 0xBd648f4083d85E2Fc53eC603363670cf58D6DF72. All told, the victim transferred…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being introduced to the crypto asset trading platform https://h5.opacoin.net/ through a WhatsApp group. The WhatsApp group offered a chance to participate in the crypto token offering, Bio Chain X (BCX), as the group touted the investment showing instant profits on the trading platform. The victim invested but was unable to withdraw their funds. The website is no longer operational.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports a person named “Leonid” called them on the phone about an investment opportunity with a crypto asset company Seikum, located at https://trade.platform-seikum.org/. In addition, various “analysts” within the company reached out to the victim offering various investment proposals and contracts that purportedly offered big profits. The victim invested on the platform, and believed their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports fucoins.com, which they were introduced to by a Whatsapp chat group called, “Market Analysis Forum D8”. In the group, a crypto asset trading guru named Mr. Oliver shared investment advice and trading signals. Mr. Oliver’s assistant, Anne, introduced the group to fucoins.com, where members could trade crypto assets based on Mr. Oliver’s signals. Following these instructions, the victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports trading crypto assets on the platform located at piwbit.com. Over time, the victim believed their balance had grown to about $2.8 million. However, when the victim tried to withdraw their money, the site told them their account had been frozen on suspicion of insider trading. The site gave the victim a questionnaire to fill out regarding their trading history and asked whether anyone was…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian report about a so-called brokerage company called InCapital Limited, which they found via social media. The company used various websites, including, incapital.limited, incapital.com, and incaptl.link. InCapital Limited also claimed business addresses in Chicago, Boca Raton, and London. The victim opened an account to trade crypto assets on InCapital Limited. When a technical glitch on the site…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports losing $10,000 worth of Ethereum on the crypto asset trading platform located at bullish-dot.com. The victim was introduced to the site by someone they met online named Le, who claimed to live in Beverly Hills. The site is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident joined a WhatsApp group for Bitcoin trading. At some point, Caroline from the group reached out to the victim and asked to communicate directly through the Telegram app. Then, Caroline told the victim about a crypto asset exchange called NRG and helped them set up an account and transfer funds into it. The exchange asked the victim to provide personal information including driver’s license,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they created an account on a crypto asset exchange hosted on the website www.paxos-pro.top. The resident exchanged funds for cryptocurrency and transferred the crypto to fund an account on the platform. But when they tried to withdraw funds, they were unable to do so. The victims have been unable to recover any of their funds, and the website is no longer operational. This is not to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was initially contacted by “Irina” through a "wrong number" text message. Irina began building a romantic connection with the victim before introducing the topic of finances and offering assistance to make money. She directed the victim to download birbayap.vip or birbayos.vip and send cryptocurrency into the provided wallets. The victim saw what appeared to be a successful transaction as…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted by “Ananya” through TikTok. Ananya promised a 20% return within a short period of time and convinced the victim to invest $3,000 into a crypto wallet using crypto.com and onChain wallet. Ananya then instructed the victim to connect the onChain wallet to the prolongers.vip cryptocurrency exchange to monitor the account balance. The funds appeared to be in the account for a few…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A fraudulent company is posing as Brave Software and offering investors alleged cryptocurrency investment opportunities, particularly involving Ethereum (ETH). The company runs a deceptive website that closely mimics Brave's branding and makes claims of high returns from crypto-mining or staking activities. Users are convinced into transferring their ETH or other cryptocurrencies to wallet addresses controlled by…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting someone on an online dating site who referred them to Capital Handels System, claiming they could make large profits by trading crypto assets within 72 hours. The victim sent money to the site, and their online friend said they would receive an email with withdrawal instructions after the trading concludes. The victim never got the email, despite sending several inquiries…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting someone on Telegram who introduced them to a crypto asset trading app called Ice. The victim downloaded the app and transferred money to it. The scammer then gave trading advice to the victim, who believed their balance appeared to increase to nearly $5,000. The victim was able to make a small withdraw of $79. But when they tried to withdraw a larger amount, the site demanded…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Mona” after joining a crypto contract trading group via Whatsapp. Mona told the victim they could make money on the crypto asset trading platform operating at the website absgbl.com and instructed the victim on how to purchase crypto assets and transfer them to the platform. The victim began trading on the platform but became suspicious when Mona repeatedly asked when they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported using a crypto exchange platform, Topkex, to trade cryptocurrencies. The victim opened an account on the platform, deposited money, and began to trade. At first, the victim was able to successfully withdraw funds without any issues. After several weeks of trading, the victim believed their account had grown significantly. But then the victim received an email stating, “We have detected…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about the website https://Gccmoney.org. The victim deposited more $50,000, believing it was a crypto asset trading platform. But when they tried to withdraw, they couldn’t. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met someone who promised to help them trade crypto assets with an online company, Vbitex. The victim started with a small deposit and began to trade on the platform with guidance from the teacher. The victim invested more and believed at one point that their account had increased in value to $440,000. But when the victim tried to withdraw some funds, the site demanded a fee of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports meeting someone on LinkedIn who invited them to chat on WhatsApp, where they suggested earning money by crypto trading. The person introduced the victim to the crypto trading site called trusflow.com and taught them how to exchange cash for crypto assets and then transfer funds to the site for trading. The victim tested the site with $1,000 and believed they had made a profit. Over a couple…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Several Californians report a WhatsApp investment group called DAF Finance Institute. The group claimed to offer a new crypto trading product they had developed called “AI Profit Algorithms 4.0”, available through a crypto asset trading platform referred to as OPACOIN, OPNCOIN, or OPN-GO. The group claimed they had received funding for the product from legitimate sources such as FINRA, and that the product was in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Another victim told the group that they wanted to invest, but did not have $50,000. This victim was told the group could lend them the money, and that the loan could be repaid with trading profits. But when the victim later tried to withdraw some of their profits from this $50,000 “loan”, the platform threatened that they needed to repay the loan with outside funds or be sued. That victim then withdrew enough…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports joining a WhatsApp group chat that encouraged member to invest in crypto assets through the website evencoincss.com which promised high returns - as much as 100 percent in profits daily – and claimed the investments would be managed by experts. The resident invested $12,000 but now cannot recover any of their funds. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports encountering a cryptocurrency exchange operating on the website provestics.com which advertised online foreign exchange trading and crypto asset trading, promising high returns on investment. The resident was instructed to purchase crypto assets and transfer the funds onto the exchange. The investor believed their account was earning a profit through trading. But when they tried to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using a cryptocurrency exchange operating on the website Gicb.bio. The resident transferred funds from their bank into Bitcoin and sent them to the website, believing they were funding an account on the exchange. After a while, the victim believed their account had grown in value. But when they tried to withdraw funds, customer service representatives from the website demanded the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported a trading platform they accessed through an app on their phone which offered trading in forex, metal, oil, CFD, and crypto markets at https://pc.hagradg.cc/#/?from=/user. Initially they invested $100 on the platform and saw their balance reach over $1,500. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the platform demanded that they deposit an additional $900 to release their funds. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached on TikTok by about an opportunity to make money by trading in bitcoin. At the time, the victim believed the person contacting them was a well-known TikTok influencer they followed. The influencer showed the victim how to purchase crypto assets and then transfer that onto a trading platform at https://app.expertcapitalsus.com. The influencer told the victim to add…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports losing money on the crypto asset trading platform Trustpips.com. The victim was contacted on Facebook Messenger by someone claiming to be a well-known social media influencer. The influencer convinced the victim to send money to the site for trading. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw money, the site said they needed to pay $8,700 in transaction fees and taxes. The victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports their encounter with the trading platform operating on the website accordcrypto.com. The victim listed a vehicle for sale online and was contacted by a "potential buyer" who encouraged them to sign up for accordcrypto.com, claiming it was a crypto asset mining website. The buyer explained that if the victim followed their instructions on how to trade on accordcrypto.com they could…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting a stranger online who directed them to the websites graphwebtsiplus.com and web3mwy.com, to make money from cryptocurrency mining. The stranger gave instructions on how to access an account on the websites, add funds, and convert crypto assets into the kind used on the site. The victim transferred assets from their cryptocurrency wallet to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Susana” online, and they communicated via WhatsApp. At some point Susana brought up the topic of investing in crypto assets and introduced the victim to a site called dydxcc.com where Susana claimed to be a senior representative. At first, the victim invested approximately $9,000, and they were able to withdraw a small portion of their funds. Over time, the site showed that…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Jack” online and they communicated through text message as well as other communication channels, including Erchat, WhatsApp, and Line. At some point, Jack told the victim they could make large profits trading gold on the website www.Iklee.cc. Jack provided instructions on how to send money to a crypto exchange and then transfer the crypto assets to the site where they could…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting someone online who introduced them to a crypto trading website called Publicip.vip. The stranger coached the victim via Telegram and guided them through each step of how to open an account on the site and transfer assets. The victim transferred $15,000 to this website but is now unable to withdraw any funds. The site is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports they saw a Facebook ad about investing in crypto and, after clicking the ad, was invited via WhatsApp to join a trading group. The victim was introduced to Anthony who convinced them to open an account and trade crypto assets on the crypto exchange platform bitvoxcoin.com. After a month of earning profits on the crypto platform, the platform demanded that the victim pay 10%…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported they deposited funds with a crypto exchange at www.Bitpodo.com. But when they tried to withdraw funds, the site told them they would need to deposit more crypto assets in order to verify their account and create a connection between their initial deposit and the withdrawal address. The victim has been unable to recuperate any of their funds and the website is no longer operational. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports their experience with a crypto trading app, referred to as a “decentralized app,” with the “dApp” URLs fx.trustfx.cc and gee5g.xyz. The consumer made several crypto deposits into the platform but when they tried to withdraw funds, the application demanded a “tax” payment before releasing the funds and threatening to freeze the account if the payment was not made within seven days.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports they met "Daryna" on Facebook after researching the potential of A.I. trading to support their retirement at age 67. Daryna claimed to be an expert and introduced the consumer to an allegedly A.I.-driven trading platform called "Krillpro." Daryna provided detailed instructions on using the platform and helped the consumer set up an account and begin trading. Initially, the consumer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports being introduced to a crypto trading site called Experttrdeanalysis.com by someone they met online. The victim was told they would earn quick profits on the site and could begin trading after depositing $1,800. A few days later, the site showed the victim their account had earned $18,900 in profits. The site told the victim they needed to “top up” their trading account with an additional…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they met someone on Twitter, who asked to switch the conversation over to Telegram. After a couple of weeks, the Twitter user told the victim that they could make money by through the website ethereum-creditor.club. The Twitter user then showed the victim how to open an account on the site, purchase crypto assets on an exchange, and send it to fund their Ethereum Club account. The victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports watching a TikTok video about a crypto website called drafthex.com. The video promised that if a user created an account on Draft Hex and enter a promo code, they would receive a third of a Bitcoin as a sign-up bonus. The consumer did as the video instructed and indeed, it appeared that a third of a Bitcoin appeared in their Draft Hex account. At that time, it was worth about $12,000.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports meeting someone on a dating app who, after a few messages, asked they move the conversation to WhatsApp. At some point, the scammer promised that they would show the victim how to trade crypto assets so they could use their profits to fund their future lives together. The scammer guided the victim step-by-step through buying crypto assets on an exchange and sending it to the website…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports using a purported cryptocurrency exchange that operated on the website web3-om.com. The resident linked their cryptocurrency wallet to the exchange believing they would make profits through a liquidity mining pool offered on the exchange. Instead, the resident’s cryptocurrency wallet was emptied, and they have not been able to recover any of their cryptocurrency. The websites are no…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting an individual using the name Mieno who promised to teach them to trade crypto assets. Mieno showed the resident how to set up an account at a cryptocurrency exchange using the web address https://btecgcrypto.vip/. Mieno said someone named Leda would administer their account. The resident transferred funds into their account on the exchange, but when they tried to withdraw…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they appeared as a guest on a podcast about building wealth. Later, someone claiming to be the host of the podcast contacted the resident about an opportunity to make money in forex and cryptocurrency. The resident agreed to open an account on the website https://premier-financeltd.org/ and transferred bitcoin to fund the account. Once the resident funded the account, they were…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports meeting “Beline” who claimed to reside in New York. The two communicated via WhatsApp, where Beline brought up the topic of making money through trading crypto assets. Belin persuaded the resident to fund an account on a cryptocurrency exchange called Bitcex, which operated through the website bitcexs.com, claiming they could make quick, significant profits. Initially, the resident…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports a crypto trading advice channel called ICT Chartist on Telegram, which showed about 43,000 followers and offered information and guides about trading crypto. One day, the channel posted a step-by-step video tutorial about making money with crypto arbitrage trading. The video tutorial showed followers how to buy Ethereum on a centralized exchange, transfer it to a site called lzfu.com where…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they were referred to a crypto site called effortsity.com by a Telegram channel called “Yetta Cox Investments”. Effortsity claimed that customers would be able to deposit cryptocurrency with the site, and that Effortsity would trade the crypto on the customer’s behalf. Effortsity noted that its trades would not be transparent to customers. The victim deposited about $1,000 worth of crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Three California consumers report their encounters with a purported cryptocurrency platform and mining operation at using the name Erspce Digital Technology (Erspce) and located online at erspce.org. Erspce claimed to offer daily profits from AI-driven trading. The first California consumer joined Erspce after receiving an invitation code from a friend, who would also earn a share of the consumer’s profits.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A second California consumer reports depositing nearly $14,000 into the Erspce platform. Despite their account indicating a balance of about $35,000, Erspce refused to process any of the consumer’s withdrawal requests and similarly did not honor its stated 72-hour withdrawal policy. The consumer has been unable to reach the platform’s customer support and has not recovered any funds. A final California consumer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported they were contacted by an individual named “Diana” on Tinder. Diana transitioned the conversation to WhatsApp where they discussed meeting in person. Then, Diana began discussing investment opportunities and mentioned cryptocurrency. She claimed to make 20%-30% profit on each transaction and that her father had insider information. Diana instructed the complainant to purchase Tether…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported they were contacted via text by an individual named “Nancy” who was ostensibly seeking friendship. Nancy requested to move the conversation to Telegram where their communication continued. Nancy claimed to be a project manager at a major global investment management firm and showed the victim how to send $1,000 in Ethereum to an account at paxfula.com aka kgfega.top, with her…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports being approached by "Alana" through Facebook, who represented herself as a senior investment partner with a crypto company called elisabatex.com. Alana then presented the victim with an investment opportunity and introduced the victim to another woman, Elisa, the purported CEO of elisabatex.com. The victim noted that Elisa’s Facebook page indicated she was employed with a construction…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports meeting someone on a dating app who introduced them to a crypto-related investment opportunity involving “contract leveraging” on https://h5.ltex.top/. The person indicated that once they deposited funds to the platform, they would be able to use those funds to leverage their crypto and increase its value. The victim tested this out by making an initial deposit of $500 in crypto assets and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports sending funds to the crypto trading platform, E Crypto Trading, at https://e-cryptotrading.com/. The victim believed they were making profits trading on the platform. But when they tried to withdraw funds from the platform, the platform’s customer service demanded the victim pay a “processing fee” charge of roughly $8,000 within 20 days to withdraw their funds. The victim asked if they could…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Four Californians reported their experiences interacting with a crypto asset trading platform that appears to be impersonating the foreign exchange service Currency Exchange International (CXI). The first victim was invited via WhatsApp to join a trading group, led by a person named professor, that taught crypto asset trading and recommended the platform CXIPro.com. The Professor’s assistant, Riley, persuaded the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The third victim joined a WhatsApp investment group where a person named Brendan claimed to have a ton of knowledge and offered trading signals to help members make profits trading crypto assets. After watching the group’s activity for a while, the victim transferred money to CXIPro to make trades. After investing $11,000, the platform showed that the victim had doubled their money. But the victim has been unable…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports receiving multiple phone calls from Rolly Invest Group promising they could earn money by investing in their platform at https://rollysolution.com/. Working with “Max”, a representative from the platform , the victim started with an initial investment of $250 and later increased their investment to over $2,000. But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, the platform said that their funds…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached by “Ethan” on the dating app Bumble. After some conversation, Ethan suggested they move their conversations over to WhatsApp. Ethan said he worked for a reputable fashion company and managed multiple stores in the west coast. Ethan regularly sent photos of himself and said he wanted to meet in person on several occasions. Over time, Ethan began to encourage the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they got a text message from “Shirley” who asked to continue their conversations through WhatsApp. During their conversations, Shirley sent multiple photos and videos of herself, but wouldn’t agree to talk through video calls. At some point, Shirley brought up investing in crypto and directed the victim to her trading broker, Yun Shang Hui Xin Limited, and helped them opened an account at…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports encountering a crypto-related investment group through WhatsApp led by person named Ned. Ned encouraged the group to invest together in his “trading program”. After observing the group chat for a while, the victim was persuaded to invest and created an account on the app Ned provided at https://pc.dbg-coltdfx.cc/#/. The victim sent funds to the wallet address associated with the platform and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reported that they were introduced by a “strategy team” via WhatsApp to the crypto trading site called www.xonecoins.com. The victim opened an account and deposited funds on the site, but later was informed they didn’t have sufficient funds. The consumer has since been unable to recover any of their funds and the website is no longer operational. This is not to be confused with the XONE…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported a crypto trading site called Osain. After using the site www.osain2023.com for a while, the victim tried to make a withdraw from their account. But Osain customer service demanded a $4,700 handling fee first. The victim paid the handling fee, then was told they needed to pay an additional $1,300 transaction fee. The victim had to take out a loan to pay the fees. Eventually, the site’s…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported that “Alex” contacted them through WeChat. After some conversation, Alex convinced the resident to move their conversation over to WhatsApp, and they developed a relationship. At some point, Alex encouraged the resident to invest in crypto assets and provided step-by-step instructions through screenshots how to open an account on a crypto exchange. Alex also introduced the resident…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported a crypto trading group called the 88 Cox Investment Research Team, which they thought was helping them trade crypto on a site called escortpro.com for a profit. The Californian deposited funds to the website, but was unable to withdraw their money upon making a withdrawal request. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported a crypto site that claimed to earn daily returns for users using “AI crypto arbitrage trading”. The site promised a 1% daily return on deposited funds. Although the site’s domain was cbdexapi.pro, the site used the branding of a highly popular crypto exchange to mislead users. The victim deposited funds with cbdexapi.pro which showed they would indeed earn a 1% daily return. The victim was…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported that they met someone on Facebook who introduced them to a crypto arbitrage trading site called aidex.tx. The Facebook friend convinced the victim that she could teach them how to make money crypto trading on aidex.tx, which promised daily returns. The woman moved the conversation to Telegram, where she guided the victim through every step of trading, including depositing and withdrawing…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported that they were unable to withdraw money from their crypto trading account on bitiqs.net. The victim initially sent $2,500 to the site for crypto trading. The site has since frozen the victim’s account, and they are unable to withdraw their balance. The site told the victim that they needed to pay a $500 “confirmation” fee to unfreeze their account. The victim sent the fee, but their account…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported that they were introduced to a crypto trading site called zhibitexap.com by someone they met on LinkedIn named Wang. Wang told the victim they could teach them how to make large profits from crypto trading on zhibitexap.com. Wang guided the victim through setting up their account on Zhibite, and overseeing all trades and transactions. The victim began trading by depositing $1,000 in their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Three Californians reported the DeFi platform LONTL. The first victim reported being pinged on their phone by “XiaoXiao”, who claimed to be a Singapore native that moved to California to work as a fashion designer. They continued to communicate and developed a relationship. One day, XiaoXiao shared an investment opportunity involving their “aunt” who worked in Wall Street and managed a team of analysts that…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The third victim reported being approached online by “Anna” who claimed to be a district manager for a reputable fashion company as well as a financial advisor with a background in economics. After developing a relationship with the victim, Anna introduced the victim to the crypto trading platform, LONTL, and promised that a financial team would provide coaching services on how to invest in crypto. Under Anna’s…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported that a friend of a friend named “Sasha” reached out on Instagram and claimed to be a crypto trader. Sasha informed the Californian that she helps people make money by trading crypto on their behalf, even guaranteeing profits within 3 hours. Under Sasha’s instructions, the victim opened a digital wallet and initially transferred $1,000 from their checking account to purchase, which they then…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported meeting “Anna” on an online dating site. After developing a rapport, Anna eventually brought up the subject of investing in crypto. Anna referred the victim to a platform called Coinegg, claiming it offered good returns. Per Anna’s suggestion, the victim made three wire transfers of $3,000, $5,000, and $11,400 to a legitimate exchange, converted into crypto assets, and transferred them to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents reported on their experiences investing in the crypto asset trading platform, “Tether Pool.” The first victim accessed the Tether Pool platform via the website tetherpool.art. The victim reported depositing over $9,500 into the platform, but the website denied the victim's withdrawal request. The second victim reported meeting an individual online who advised them to purchase the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reported investing through a crypto asset trading platform via the URL bdswissasias.com. The victim further reported that bdswissasias.com impersonated BDSwiss, a legitimate financial services company. The victim discovered bdswissasias.com after receiving unsolicited messages from a WhatsApp group called “Smith Group 15.” The group, led by a person named “David” and assisted by “Maria”,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Over the course of a few weeks, Maria provided trade signals that appeared to produce consistent profits. Encouraged by the initial success and seamless withdrawals to their Coinbase account, the victim decided to invest larger amounts. Eventually, they deposited $32,000, aiming to reach the $50,000 threshold required to fully join the group. But in just 20 minutes, the victim reported that they lost the entire…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported they were contacted on Twitter by someone claiming to be a popular YouTube crypto asset influencer and convinced the resident to move their conversations over to WhatsApp. At some point, the imposter told the resident about the Flare token airdrop and convinced the resident they could claim some of these Flare tokens. The imposter then provided the resident a link through WhatsApp…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported using a crypto asset exchange operating under the domain name https://friktionali.com/h5. After an initial $5,000 deposit into the exchange yielded profit, the victim increased their investment and, following a successful withdrawal, further increased their investment. However, the victim now reports being unable to access their funds. All told, the victim reported losing about…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Three Californians reported about the crypto asset trading platform coinmatevip.com. The first victim met “LinXinXin” and “Scarlett” online, who claimed to be “consortium administrators” for the crypto trading platform, h5.coinmate.vip.com and encouraged the victim to open an account. Over a period of months and under the instructions of LinXinXin and Scarlett, the victim deposited funds to the platform. All…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported a crypto trading site called “coobe.im". After clicking on an Instagram ad, the ad redirected the victim to a WhatsApp chatroom run by a crypto trader calling himself the “Professor”. The Professor promised to teach traders in the chatroom how to make money trading crypto on the “coobe.im” platform in exchange for a 30% commission. The victim deposited $200 on the site and saw their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported they were referred to the crypto trading site called genieproxchange.com by a Facebook friend. The victim was told that they could make money by margin-trading Bitcoin on genieproxchange.com. The victim sent money to the site for trading and has been unable to withdraw any of their money. They later learned their Facebook friend's account had been hacked. The victim has not been able to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian joined a WhatsApp group where they learned about a crypto platform called tnegcoin.com. In the WhatsApp group, someone calling themselves “Professor” gave crypto trading buy/sell “signals” for the group members to trade crypto on tnegcoin.com. Other members of the group shared that they had made a substantial sum of money from the Professor’s trading advice and had withdrawn large sums into their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being approached on WhatsApp Business by “Scott”, who claimed to be a licensed crypto broker and trader. Scott encouraged the resident to invest with him through the crypto trading platform that he worked for at legionfxtrader.com. Initially, the resident made a small investment in bitcoin and was able to withdraw funds successfully. Scott then told the victim to move their crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents reported encountering a website cryptocomwallettc.com, which appears to be impersonating Crypto.com by using its logo. The first resident reported being approached by “Danny” on a dating app. After some conversation, the two exchanged numbers, and eventually, Danny convinced the resident to move their conversations over to WhatsApp. At some point, Danny introduced the idea of investing in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The DFPI received a complaint from an out-of-state complainant who reported being approached online by “Gie Gie”, who claimed to be a senior financial advisor. Gie Gie told the complainant about the crypto trading platform, Invest Digital FX, located at https://investdigitalfx.com. Under Gie Gie's guidance, the complainant traded crypto asset on the platform and was led to believe they were making a profit from…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The DFPI received a complaint from an out-of-state complainant who reported losing over $700,000 to the fraudulent crypto trading platform, FX Star Limited. After the incident, the complainant was approached by a company, Global Asset Refund, LLC, who claimed to provide asset recovery services. Global Asset Refund LLC claimed to trace the complainant’s assets to a Cryptoxchangepro.com using “dark technology”. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported being approached by a “Jenny” through the messenger app, LINE, who introduced the resident to a fraudulent trading platform at https://korsankopya.com. The two developed a friendship on LINE and after a month of conversation, Jenny began introducing the idea of investing in crypto. Initially, Jenny introduced the resident to a platform that appeared to be impersonating KikiTrade.com…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported receiving a message on Instagram from an influencer they followed with a link to a free “marketing course.” However, the link led the resident to a crypto trading website makerealscents.com. After conversing with the influencer, the influencer convinced the resident to send $300 in crypto to the wallet address, bc1qplq9m3hn2w4gqlcvm0vttpmd79dycuprkyf85w, to begin trading. At some…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Multiple California residents reported losing all access to the funds they invested in a purported cryptocurrency trading platform called Amgex. The first California victim met an individual calling themselves “Emily” on WhatsApp who encouraged the victim to download the app at amgexohn.com. Emily advised the victim that her uncle was a professional trader with a team of about twenty people determining when to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A third California victim reported losing money after receiving an invitation on LinkedIn from a person named “Mollie,” who claimed to work at a well-known tech company. Impressed by her profile, the victim accepted her invitation, which led to Mollie encouraging them to join WhatsApp for further communication. Mollie then began persuading the victim to invest in cryptocurrency. Unfamiliar with cryptocurrency,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two consumers have complained about the trading platform called Zaifint. The first consumer reported losing approximately $50,000. An individual on social media contacted the consumer and introduced the consumer to a purported cryptocurrency exchange operating under the domain www.cryptotableservice.com, which later changed their site to Zaifinit.net. The second consumer reported losing approximately $1,000,000…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported that they met an individual through text messages who introduced them to a purported cryptocurrency exchange operating under the domain name www.exmartexe.com. At the direction of the person they met through text messages, the resident created an account on the exchange and transferred crypto assets to it. But when they tried to withdraw funds from the account, the consumer was…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported meeting a stranger online associated with the site sparkrlv.com who taught them how to send cryptocurrency to the site for trading. The victim sent $110 to the site, expecting to receive $117 back. However, the victim has been unable to recover their money, and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported being referred to Byconomy by a friend, who claimed it was a good investment opportunity. The promoter of Byconomy, “Rogers”, promised to return a profit of $1,200 after just 48 hours of crypto trading. The victim deposited $200 into a Byconomy account and watched as their balance quickly rose to nearly $16,000. After the 48-hour period, Rogers told the victim they needed to pay her a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported seeing a social media post advertising a presale for Kitty Coin at https://presale.kittycoin.app. When the victim tried to purchase some Kitty Coin, the site redirected them to another site to complete the transaction. After the purchase, the victim discovered that all crypto assets in their crypto wallet had been stolen. In total, the victim lost about $2,000 worth of Ethereum. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reported being contacted on WhatsApp about a crypto asset trading opportunity involving a platform called Pnecoin. Aftering researching Pnecoin, the victim sent $300 to the platform as an initial investment and followed the trading advice provided, which appeared to generate profits. Encouraged by the apparent success, the victim invested additional funds. The platform then offered a program…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reported meeting “John” online. John convinced the victim that he had a sophisticated understanding of making money through buying, selling, and mining crypto currency. John then advised the victim that he would instruct them how to make money. After instructing the victim on purchasing crypto and opening accounts on various crypto trading platforms, John told the victim to visit fasteth.io,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reported receiving a text message instructing them to withdraw their assets from Celsius, a cryptocurrency trading platform that declared bankruptcy, via a link to a website called recovery-celsius.com. The message stated: "[Celsius] Our distribution of substantial holdings has been settled and your assets are now ready to be withdrawn via https://recovery-celsius.com." The victim, a former…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer was invited to register with TYDP Group at tdymgroup.co to earn money by following their crypto trading “signals.” Initially, the consumer appeared to be earning profits by following the group’s trade instructions. However, an assistant linked to the group later suggested making trades outside the provided signals. Following the assistant’s directions, the consumer executed the trades until…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer deposited approximately $4,000 with the crypto exchange site Fonnex.com. When the consumer attempted to withdraw funds from their account, they discovered that the account was locked and the site demanded a Know Your Customer (KYC) verification fee of $3,500 to unlock it. Knowing that the KYC regulations do not require such a fee, the consumer realized that this was a scam. The consumer…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer transferred approximately $100 from their crypto wallet to a wallet on the site crypto-cex.global. When the consumer attempted to withdraw funds from their account, they found that the account had been locked, and the site demanded $750 to unlock it. The consumer reports that none of their money has been returned. This is not to be confused with the company Cex.IO that operates the website…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported losing over $130,000 in bitcoin to an entity impersonating a government grant program. The victim was contacted via Facebook by someone using the name “Dui D. Law” and applied for what they believed to be a grant program called the “Grand Check Program.” The victim was informed that they had been approved for $13,400 and would receive a check within 24 hours after paying an upfront…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported losing money after engaging with an investment group on WhatsApp called “BTIG”. The group encouraged members to open accounts on various websites and applications and transfer funds to the fraudulent crypto trading platform called Securityco. The platform mimicked a legitimate crypto trading app and purportedly offered options trading for crypto assets. The victim was pressured by…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported an “analyst” named William guided him to a group chat on the WhatsApp platform. The group appeared to be very established, and claimed to offer market analysis, recommendations, and other information to guide investors. In the group chat, William initially made stock recommendations. But after gaining the victim’s trust by claiming these recommendations had earned profits, William…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reported about the wallet company, Newton Portfolio, operating the website www.nportfolio.com. The victim believed they had $68,035.95 USDT and $36,517.73 BTC in their wallet, but the wallet company will not release their funds. The website is no longer operational. This is not to be confused with the company Newton Crypto that operates the website www.newton.co.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports that “Emily” contacted them through Instagram. She encouraged them to move the conversation over to Whatsapp, and they developed a relationship. At some point, Emily began talking about their future together. Emily informed the victim that her aunt worked at a prominent cryptocurrency exchange platform and can help the victim trade crypto. Emily convinced the victim to send $15,000 to a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports viewing a clip on TikTok wherein a popular YouTuber purportedly was giving away money. The TikTok clip also provided a link to obtain money. When the Californian clicked on the link, they were redirected to an unrelated crypto investment site at https://xanelex.com. The website is designed to appear as if it were a legitimate crypto trading platform by inviting users to link their wallets,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they began using a crypto asset exchange that was operating under the domain name coinsbitfx.com. Coins Bit FX claimed to be registered with the National Futures Association to convince users of its legitimacy. At some point, the resident believed their account had grown in value to $35,134. But when they tried to withdraw funds from their account, the victim was told by the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports about a crypto asset exchange that was operating under the domain name goldle.com. The exchange appeared to offer a crypto asset token called Tether Gold, and their website claimed to offer investing services aided by artificial intelligence. Following the website’s instructions, the resident transferred crypto assets to the exchange hoping to take advantage of its rewards program.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗An anonymous consumer reports they used a crypto asset exchange called Whiz Latam, operating under the domain names www.whiz-latam.org, whiz-app.cc, whiz.ink, and whiz-latam.net. The consumer believed they were successfully trading crypto assets on this exchange, and that their account had increased in value to around $42,000. But when the consumer tried to withdraw funds, a representative from Whiz Latam…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports transferring crypto assets from their account to a crypto asset trading platform called BitcoinFxTrades.com. Believing their account balance had grown substantially, the victim sought to withdraw their funds. However, the platform’s customer service told them they needed to “upgrade” their account to “SILVER” to make a withdrawal and a demanded an “upgrade fee” of $1,200. The victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer complained to DFPI about the J-1 Parker AI Investment Club. The consumer opened a trade account with the club and transferred crypto assets there via the website https://wap.Agimx.Com. At one point, the consumer believed they had $21,000 in their account. But when they tried to withdraw funds from the account, the website notified the consumer that their account was locked and demanded they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports they met “L.M.,” a venture capitalist and private wealth manager, on a religion-centric dating app. The two continued to chat on the WhatsApp platform and via voice message, but never spoke on the telephone or met in person. At some point, L.M. convinced the consumer to invest in crypto assets and directed them to transfer a small amount of funds from a crypto asset exchange, then to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California reports a WhatsApp group that claimed to trade in high earning stocks and cryptocurrencies. The group promoted a three-month “Stock 20X Profit Plan” whereby someone from the group would provide trade signals to buy certain penny stocks during pre-market hours and sell at market opening, promising 90% to 200% profit. The group encouraged the victim to open an account on the “institutional trading…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents reported their encounters with the promotion of an “airdrop”on YouTube involving the crypto asset XRP. Both residents saw a YouTube video someone representing to be Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of the crypto asset firm Ripple, soliciting viewers to send XRP to a QR code onscreen with the following representations: “To participate you just need to send any amount from 1.000 XRP to 500.000…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they sent $8,500 to what they believed was a crypto asset exchange with the domain name globalfxscouts.com. After several weeks, their investment grew. When the victim requested to withdraw their funds, they were informed by the exchange that they needed to pay a $2,500 “fee” to release the money. Since then, the victim has not been able to recover funds from their account and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports they were on YouTube to watch the Boeing mission launch and saw a video purportedly featuring Elon Musk, in which “Musk” claimed he would double the amount of cryptocurrency donated by an investor using the QR code link provided in the video. The link directed them to starliner.net and the victim transferred funds there. The website no longer in service and the victim has not been…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports two suspicious crypto trading websites: https://blackrock-us.vip/#/ and https://blackrock-us.com. The websites impersonate BlackRock, a legitimate investment firm, on Facebook and WhatsApp to solicit victims to trade crypto options, promising high daily returns. The sites are no longer operational and are not associated or affiliated with BlackRock at https://www.blackrock.com/us/.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident complains about a crypto trading platform on the website www.crypto4winners.com, which appears to be run by the Swedish company C4Wave Capital Kommanditbolag. Crypto4Winners allowed people to deposit Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins on the site, and promised to trade the cryptocurrency on their behalf. The victim reports that they contributed various crypto assets worth more than $16,000…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident has complained to DFPI about a crypto asset trading site, silkglobaltop.com. The victim met a man at a coffee shop who shared that he owned a successful gold trading company. The man said that if the victim was interested in making money, the man’s niece would follow up with more information. A few days later, the victim received a text from “Alissa.” Alissa told the victim they should wire…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were introduced by an individual on Twitter to a purported cryptocurrency exchange operating under the domain name www.desktradingpro.com. At the direction of the person they met online, the resident created an account on the exchange and transferred crypto assets to it. The resident was then told by representatives from the exchange that trades would not be visible until…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident encountered “Leon” online who persuaded them to open an account on a purported cryptocurrency exchange operating under the domain name m.kngworld.com, and then join in trading with a “crypto trading team.” The victim has since been unable to recuperate any of their funds. All told, they sent $20,000 to the exchange.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was contacted through Facebook by “Mason,” who offered to help them with investments and convinced them to transfer crypto assets to an exchange called Flowmarketpro using the domain name www.flowmarketpro.com. Mason connected the resident with past clients who he claimed he had helped make money. The resident initially transferred $10,000 to the exchange and was withdraw $2,480 from the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents have complained about a trading platform called ICMARKETS BEST. The first victim was introduced to a trading platform called ICMARKETS BEST. After several months of trading, the victim requested to withdraw funds. The platform's customer service informed the victim they had to pay taxes before processing the withdrawal. The victim paid the “tax” and again requested to withdrawal funds.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim deposited funds onto a cryptocurrency trading platform called Bmatxio.com. They made the deposit after a friend they made online informed them of the platform. The victim has been unable to withdraw funds from their account.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached on social media by “Amberly” who claimed to be from Ontario, Canada. Over time, the two developed a relationship and began texting and calling each other regularly. One day, Amberly mentioned she had been working with a crypto analyst for several years and was making crypto asset trades with great success through a crypto trading platform at…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports being scammed by someone impersonating the support team of the crypto Defi project, Arkadiko Finance. After the victim submitted a question on the Discord support channel, the scammer immediately created a private message room, invited the victim to the private chat room and offered to help them under the guise of being one of the community leaders of the channel. The scammer provided…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they encountered someone online impersonating a well-known investment banker, who directed them to multiple WhatsApp chat groups where members claimed they were making money trading on the crypto asset platform Paxbit Crypto Services Limited. Members of these groups were also soliciting investment in the initial coin offering (ICO) of the TNH token. The victim reports investing in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they signed up with a website that promised they could earn crypto assets if they agreed to watch ads. One of the ads offered a job opportunity that promised $780 a day if the job seeker made small transactions exchanging one crypto asset for another through the website https://bitcoin-cheats.com/. The victim signed up and deposited funds for the required exchanges. However, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they were introduced to coinfasttrades.com by a friend, who claimed they could make profits of $24,000 from an initial investment of only $700. The friend referred the victim to their trading “mentor” on Instagram, “Jessica,” who explained their trading strategy to the victim and promised a money back guarantee. Jessica promised to walk them through the trades, step-by-step. At first, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports they sent $130,000 to trade crypto assets on the website coinbitjzsc.top . But when the victim tried to withdraw funds, they were told their account had been frozen because of “suspicious activity”. The victim provided proof of identification and proof that their funds had been transferred from their crypto asset account. The site then told the victim their account was marked with a “danger…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports losing more than $65,000 through a crypto trading platform called “Phemex.cyou”. Someone named “Wendy” texted the victim, introducing herself as the friend of a mutual friend on Facebook. Wendy told the victim that she owned successful salons in Santa Monica and New York City and also made money through crypto trading. Wendy told the victim about her uncle, who she said was a successful…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were introduced to a purported cryptocurrency exchange operating under the domain name m.luckyzoom.top, and later bikexport.com, by an individual calling themself NanLi. NanLi initially contacted the victim via text and subsequently communicated through Line and WeChat. NanLi persuaded the victim to use the cryptocurrency exchange to generate income and instructed them on how to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they began using what they believed was a crypto asset exchange called BEX-EX, utilizing the web domains bex-ex.xx and BEX.ts. The victim transferred $7,500 in funds to their account on the exchange but is now unable to withdraw any funds.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they sent funds to what they believed was a crypto asset exchange with the domain name cointiger.com. At some point, the website showed that their account balance had grown to over $200,000. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw funds, a representative from the exchange demanded $10,000 before any withdrawals could be made. The victim sent the $10,000 but could still not…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents have complained about a crypto asset trading platform calling itself “AJCOINS.” The first victim encountered AJCOINS through a group chat on the WhatsApp platform. The individual was randomly added to this group chat, where the main figures, “Joseph” and his assistant “Alexandra” encouraged the victim to engage in cryptocurrency trading using the AJCOINS app. In the group chat, Joseph…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reached out to “David” on Facebook, where he purported to help people earn an “endless stream of income… through crypto investment.” The victim reported David convinced them to deposit roughly $400 worth of bitcoin through a website called Oneway Digital Currency, promising profitable crypto investing. The platform claimed to utilize a "trading robot" to manage investments automatically,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports being approached online by “Ava” who claimed to be an analyst for a finance related company. After many conversations about buying and selling stocks, eventually Ava introduced the victim to a crypto asset trading platform at https://dailyharvestltd.com/en. Ava claimed this platform was created by a company called Daily Harvest Ltd./SXFMGY, and that the National Futures Association…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report having issues with the crypto asset trading platform m.invastfex.cc. The first victim reported investing $50,000 in the crypto trading platform m.invastfex.cc and was led to believe they made $30,000 in returns. However, when attempting to withdraw funds from the platform, the platform indicated that the victim would need to pay a 30% tax fee first. After paying the 30% fee, they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports having issues withdrawing funds from the trading platform https://aex.lol/trade/login.html. The resident reports being contacted online by members of a “teacher team” that introduced them to the trading platform. The resident reports entering into a contract with the “teacher” team on the platform and then depositing over $50,000 in funds. But when the resident attempted to withdraw…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports losing 5 BTC after having their funds locked on the now defunct crypto trading platform, Haru Invest at https://haruinvest.com/. Haru Invest held itself out as a digital asset management platform based on algorithmic trading strategies and claimed to offer 12% APR on invested crypto. However, in June 2023, Haru Invest terminated deposits and withdrawals on its platform. Executives of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports issues dealing with a crypto asset trading platform known as LayRay/layray.pro. The victim reported they were invited to trade on the platform at the behest of a stranger online. The victim invested their savings into the platform, but when they tried to withdraw their funds, they were told by the platform that they would need to pay 20% of their holdings to pay off taxes associated…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California residents report a crypto asset website called nasdaqon.com. The first victim was referred there by a person they met online. The victim transferred funds to the site and their account balance appeared to grow to $525,000. But, when they tried to withdraw the funds, the website demanded the victim pay a 10% withdrawal free, which would amount to over $50,000. The second victim reports they met…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports while they were searching for online employment, they encountered a group representing themselves as a French department store using the website, “dartya.com”. The group told the victim they would pay commission for completing online “tasks”. However, each task required the victim to convert their own money into crypto assets and deposit them on the website. The victim was told the crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports that they lost nearly $600,000 to someone claiming to be a registered broker at a national bank, and even using the license number of a person that worked there. The victim encountered this person through Google Chat and was asked to open an account on a crypto asset exchange. The “broker” showed the victim how to convert their cash into crypto assets and send them to a crypto asset trading…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met “Bowen” on WeChat and WhatsApp. Bowen shared personal information and pictures of himself, such as by sharing that he worked at a Tesla factory in Fremont. Then, Bowen told the victim he had a friend who had been earning consistent returns trading crypto for the last 10 years. Bowen gave step-by-step instructions to the victim on how to trade crypto like his friend by first…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim believed they were trading crypto assets on a trading platform using the web address bravaofx.com. The victim exchanged money for crypto assets and sent it to the platform. However, the victim is now unable to access their cryptocurrency and cannot recover any of their invested funds. In total, the victim invested $18,670.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was part of a WhatsApp group chat named “Caryle” and “BIPPAX-185,” focused on discussing crypto asset investment. The group was led by two individuals named Susan and Bexley, who claimed to be employees of a global investment firm. Susan and Bexley circulated a document to the group containing information about a crypto asset trading platform called BIPPAX that could be accessed either through…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted on Instagram by a stock advisor, who then introduced them to a stock discussion group on WhatsApp. The group was led by an individual using the name “Kevin,” who claimed to have 20 years of trading and investment experience and provided the group with stock news and recommendations. Kevin gained the victim's trust by correctly predicting some movements in the stock markets.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California victims report being scammed by a fraudulent crypto asset trading platform known as YoBitpro. The first California victim was initially contacted by an individual named “Francis” about a rental property the victim owned. After a few months of conversation, Francis introduced the victim to the crypto asset exchange, YoBitPro, and told the victim they could increase their Ethereum holdings by as much…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports being approached on Facebook by an individual named “Anjali” who appeared to have mutual friends with the victim. After moving the conversation over to WhatsApp, Anjali introduced the idea of investing in crypto and offered to teach the victim on how to set up an account and trade. Anjali instructed the victim to set up an account on a crypto asset exchange to purchase $5,000 in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports after clicking on a link to a website at https://gmelaunch.com/, at least $1,500 worth of Solana (SOL) and Jupiter coin (JUP) was taken from their crypto asset wallet. The DFPI cautions that his website may have initiated a “bit-flip attack”, a form of cryptographic attack that allows the attacker to overwrite conditions within on-chain data even after the user’s private key was used…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California victims report a fraudulent crypto asset trading platform known as Mercatox/Whitemax.US. The first victim accessed the platform at https://www.whitemaxud.com/index.html. The victim used the site, and had no issues - funds would show in their account on the platform after wiring them there, and the victim was able to trade crypto assets on the platform. Over time, the victim sold stocks and dipped…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports being approached online by “Mandy”, who expressed romantic interest. After conversing for some time, Mandy claimed that investing in crypto assets had solved all her financial problems. Mandy then introduced the victim to a Telegram group that called themselves “Binary Trading Solutions” with Nancy as their leader. Nancy claimed to be associated with Globaltek Forex Trading. Nancy…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was introduced by an acquaintance to a crypto asset trading platform at Turtsgrupfk.top. The acquaintance showed them how to send crypto assets from their wallet onto the crypto trading platform. Initially, the victim was able to navigate the website seamlessly and after investing $15,000 on the platform, believed it had doubled in value after 2 weeks. One day the victim noticed their account…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports they saw a Facebook ad about a purported crypto brokerage, operating the website primegroup.global. The victim visited the website and communicated with “advisors” who claimed to be with the company Euro Resource, LLC. Under the guidance of one of these advisors, the victim transferred funds from his checking account to an account he established on the brokerage platform and started…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports searching on Google for information about a crypto asset brokerage firm. The top result was a sponsored link leading to a website with the web address mantao.network. Upon entering the website and clicking within the page, the website attempted to connect to the victim’s crypto wallet. After approving the request to connect to their wallet, the victim saw between 4 to 5 bitcoin drained…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were approached by an individual named “Carmen” on Instagram, who claimed to be a businesswoman in Los Angeles and a part owner of a bar in San Francisco. Over a few months, the victim and Carmen developed an online friendship and conversed primarily through WhatsApp. Eventually, Carmen brought up trading cryptocurrencies as a way to alleviate the victim’s financial burdens and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they were contacted on Facebook Messenger by someone claiming to be Elon Musk. The Elon Musk impersonator asked the California resident to invest in his company and requested the resident to pay in cryptocurrency or to send payments through PayPal. The DFPI cautions consumers about scammers who impersonate a legitimate business to gain access to a user’s systems and personal…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports encountering a post on Facebook promoting an investment opportunity. The victim contacted the person who made the post and was referred to another person, “Lisbon”, who claimed they would perform the trading for the investments. Lisbon gave instructions to the victim via WhatsApp using the name “Trade Coach”. Under Lisbon’s instructions, the victim opened an account on…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted via text from an individual named Mia, who offered the victim an opportunity to earn commissions by completing certain tasks related to "ghost booking" on the platform “good-bookingline.com.” Mia directed the victim to purchase and transfer crypto assets to https://good-bookingline.com/ in order to gain access to the tasks available on the platform. As the victim completed…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they transferred $70,000 to bitcoinified.com. When the resident tried to withdraw their funds from the platform, they were told they must first pay fees. The victim has not been able to withdraw the $70,000 they transferred to the platform. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians report losing money on the crypto asset trading platform Bakktunt.com and Bakktexe.com. The first victim was contacted online by “Chen” who claimed to be a crypto trading expert. Chen convinced the victim to wire $45,000 to an account on Bakktunt.com, and claimed they would execute crypto trades for them on Bakktunt.com. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw money, they were told they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports transferring money to a crypto asset trading platform impersonating Tapbit, but has been unable to withdraw any money from their account. When the victim first requested to withdraw funds, the platform requested $19,505 to cover capital gains taxes and a $42,547 “security deposit” because of “suspicious activity” on the account. The victim paid those fees, but the platform requested…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reportedly lost $2,500 after making contact via the Telegram application with an individual who advertised personal success investing in crypto assets. After receiving an invitation to join a private user group on Telegram called "Noah Crytocurreny Investment Group," the victim was set up with an “assistant” who helped the victim establish trading accounts. After the victim had installed the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met "Mark" on the dating app Bumble. Mark asked the victim to shift the conversation to WhatsApp. They continued to communicate, and at some point, Mark told the victim he could teach them cryptocurrency trading and showed them how to open a trading account at https://e.fidelityopt.com, claiming it was “safe and legal.” At first, the victim was reluctant, but Mark claimed he…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted by an individual named “Carl” who claimed to be the Chief Information Officer at a Santa Monica-based digital financial services company. After initial conversations on LinkedIn, they shifted the communications to Instagram. After a few weeks, Carl proposed a joint investment in crypto assets. Under Carl's guidance, the victim created a Trust Wallet account and connect it to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports they “invested” $1,500 through a cryptocurrency trading platform operating the website safepalesa.com and holding itself out as “Safepal.” After appearing to make profits, the victim attempted to withdraw a portion of their funds from the website. But the site informed the victim the assets were frozen. Despite contacting Safepal’s customer service department five times, the victim has…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports they followed an Instagram user who claimed to be a professional “binary trader.” At some point, this “trader” persuaded the victim to invest $1,000. Following the trader’s instructions, the victim accessed the platform, loomoptionsmarket.com, and deposited bitcoin into the trader’s cryptocurrency wallet through a crypto asset kiosk. After that, the trader encouraged the victim to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they got a text from “Aurora.” Despite the California resident not being the intended recipient of the message, Aurora initiated a conversation and persuaded them to continue communication on WhatsApp. Over the span of several months, Aurora convinced the resident to invest in crypto assets through the website cglobalw.com. Eventually, the victim lost $45,000. The website is no…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met someone online via the instant messaging service Telegram who recommended they invest in crypto asset mining on the website ethernet035.com. To facilitate the investment, the California resident was told to open a crypto asset wallet on what they believed was a legitimate application. The victim then received an email asking them to verify their new account by making two…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident registered for an account on the website ethereumxcorp.com, believing it was a cryptocurrency wallet application. Immediately upon signing up, the new account displayed that there were crypto assets available, even though the victim hadn't made any deposits. But to verify the new account, the website instructed the victim to transfer crypto assets from their personal wallet to the wallet.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports receiving unsolicited communication on Instagram from an individual using the name "Sunny," who asked that they continue to communicate on WhatsApp. Over time, Sunny persuaded the resident to invest in crypto assets on the website wmt-exchange.org. The victim followed Sunny's instructions and wired money to purchase crypto assets on an exchange, and then transferred those crypto…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they met someone online who promised to teach them how to trade crypto assets. The online person showed the victim how to open an account on ccy-space.com and transfer crypto assets. There, the victim invested in a “VIP” trading pool that promised to pay out high returns each day. However, when the victim tried to withdraw their funds, the website told them the account was flagged…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports depositing $25,000 on two websites (lidcoin.vip and h5.lidcoin.vip) with the hope of trading crypto tokens for a profit. The victim was able to make small withdrawals at first, but now, their money is frozen. The victim is also suspicious that the crypto tokens they used for trading on these websites were actually fake. The websites are no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they were referred to a crypto trading platform via a friend on Instagram. The victim’s friend posted a picture of a fancy car on Instagram and claimed that they had bought it with proceeds from trading crypto assets on legalcryptocoinstrade.com. When the victim reached out to their friend for more information, the friend told them to contact another Instagram account. “Mary”…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California reports they were contacted via text message by a person claiming to be “Jiahao.” Over several months, following Jiahao’s instructions, the victim purchased crypto assets on an exchange and transferred them to Vexjex.cc where Jiahao claimed they would trade crypto assets for a profit. At some point, the victim was contacted by the website, which claimed that another person deposited money into the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports being offered a free non-fungible token (NFT) on the website https://apyeth.gifts/. The site instructed the victim to connect their crypto wallet by entering their wallet’s passcode on the website. The victim entered their wallet’s passcode multiple times, but each time the site stated the attempts were unsuccessful and the crypto wallet could not be connected to the site. At some…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports that they met “Wen” on WeChat, who was very kind, romantic, and smart. The victim was initially skeptical of a relationship formed exclusively online, but Wen continued to woo them, putting great efforts into the relationship such as by claiming that “distance was not an issue to people who loved each other,” eventually gaining the victim’s trust. Wen began to talk about the future,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two separate Californian consumers have filed complaints with the DFPI after losing money they believed would be invested in cryptocurrency. Each consumer stated that they had seen videos on YouTube purportedly featuring Elon Musk, in which “Musk” claimed he would double the amount of cryptocurrency purchased by an investor using the text link or QR code link provided in the video or in its description. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that they lost more than $100,000 after transferring money to an individual named “Sunitha Smith Gowda” using the WhatsApp application. The consumer believed they was investing in Ethereum cryptocurrency, but after he transferred the money, “Sunitha” cut off all contact with the consumer.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California consumer reports that they lost more than $5000 to someone on Instagram. The consumer contacted “JessicaPTrades” after seeing a friend’s supposed success story trading crypto under “Jessica’s” guidance; the friend referred to Jessica as their crypto-trading “coach.” After the consumer made initial contact and sent some Bitcoin to a specified wallet to begin trading, “JessicaPTrades” directed the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted on Tik Tok and Instagram by five different accounts impersonating a famous actor. In one of the contacts, the imposter proposed that the victim send them $30,000 so they could “invest” together. Ultimately, the victim sent the imposter about $4,700 in Bitcoin and gift cards, which is now lost.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports receiving threats from an Instagram account called “Aylin.” Aylin told the victim they will leak private photos of the victim online unless they pay them in Bitcoin. The victim has already sent $600 to Aylin but continues to receive harassing messages.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted via telegram by “Anna” who encouraged them to open a crypto investment account on the website www.bitso-crypto.top. The victim deposited over $50,000 into their Bitso-crypto account, but when they tried to withdraw their money, they were told by Bitso-crypto (via Telegram account @Bitso1) that their account was “frozen,” and they would have to deposit more funds to unlock it. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was convinced by an online acquaintance to venture into cryptocurrency investments using a trading platform called Amead Digital Currency Co. LTD (https://tyshw.com). Initially investing $25,000, the victim engaged in trading on the platform and believed the account had grown to $130,000. When attempting to withdraw the funds, an Amead representative informed the victim they needed to pay…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident invested in a trading platform called Bytobit through its website at bytobit.com. The victim initially deposited crypto assets worth $295 and noticed that their account displayed a balance of $11,000, supposedly attributed to a promotional offer on the site. But representatives from the website told the victim that they needed to pay more crypto assets to withdrawal any money from the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim recounts an email phishing scam related to a crypto asset website they used. The victim received an email from Google Sheets stating it had been almost a year since they had last been active on the “Bitcoin Mining” website and therefore, they were closing the victim's account. But, the email continued, if the victim wanted to claim their crypto assets from the account, they would need to cash…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was convinced by “Emily from San Francisco” to trade cryptocurrency on her exchange, “100Ex.” Over a few weeks, the victim transferred a little under $2,000 worth of Bitcoin onto the exchange. The victim then received an email representing their account balance as $50,580.59. However, to withdraw the money, the victim would have to pay taxes of 15% on the earnings, which 100Ex calculated to be…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim, a U.S. military veteran, met a “Mary” on the social media app WhatsApp who introduced the victim to an investment platform called “Coinegg” at a website called “ceggcc.vip." Mary worked for weeks to build trust with the victim, inviting the victim to switch from conversing with her “business account” to her “private account.” Then, Mary invited the victim to join Mary’s “friends and family…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met “Diana” on WhatsApp who convinced them to “invest” $7,200 in an account on a website called “ExNow.” After a couple of months, the victim's account balance appeared to have grown to $239,167. When the victim tried to withdraw that money, ExNow required them to make an upfront payment of $35,000 toward taxes on their gains. The victim then tried to withdraw their original investment of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was introduced to an AI investment platform through somebody they met on the Facebook dating app. The scammer showed the victim the website for the investment platform – kenskrksr.com – as well as a white paper about the AI trading program. The scammer also introduced the victim to a Telegram discussion channel where others convinced them to invest. During the holiday season, the platform…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Hoping to set up a “node” on the Rhenium network, a California victim sought help from an administrator on the Rhenium discord channel. The victim got a response via a direct message from someone claiming to be an representative of Rhenium who sent them an .exe file to help convert their virtual private server (VPS) into a node on the Rhenium network. The .exe file worked and turned the victim’s VPS into a node.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim received an email which included a link to https://firstmining.top/account/. When he clicked the link, he accessed documents that showed he had an account with crypto assets in it that had accumulated more than $38,000 dollars from the website’s ”cloud mining” operations. The victim tried to access the funds, but was instructed that they needed to pay a small fee first and was asked to provide…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim opened an account with MindStone Technology Ltd. (mindstoneltd.org) hoping to trade crypto assets. They deposited $91,000 dollars onto the trading platform. At some point, the victim asked for their money back and received an email stating that the refund was successful. The victim reports that the funds never arrived in their digital wallet and the website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians complained separately about Whitcoin crypto platform. The first victim opened an account at Whitcoinpro.net platform to trade crypto assets. The victim then transferred $130,000 worth of crypto assets onto the platform. But when the victim tried to transfer assets from their Whitcoinpro.net account into their private wallet, the platform denied the transfer, and accused the victim of “Money…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports a crypto asset scam that began after one of the victim's friend’s Instagram accounts was hacked. Unaware of the hack, the victim saw on Instagram that their friend had made a lot of money from someone named “Adriana Montez” who claimed to be making lots of money by investing in crypto assets. Adriana reached out to the victim and asked them to contact her. Thinking this was someone…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident identified a website (XCointrading.com) that advertised “Buy and Sell Coins at the Crypto with minimal fees of 1%” and stated all user funds were stored on the project wallets. It also said “Do not trust the project – do not make a deposit in any case. Nobody is forcing you to do this! You yourself say this a risk! If this is a risk to you, don’t do it.” The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians complained separately about the gold trading platform, Sundell Ltd. (Sundell-fx.com). The first victim was contacted on LinkedIn by “Amelia” who expressed interest in the victim’s home country of Korea and struck up a casual conversation about life experiences there versus the U.S. The conversations eventually switched to WhatsApp and they continued to talk about many subjects. The victim even…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident alerted the DFPI that the website fxalliance-traders.com promised high yields on crypto assets but really stole people’s money. The website is no longer operational.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident received a text from a stranger named “Victoria.” When the victim said she got the wrong number, Victoria continued to text the victim and asked that they move the conversation over to the Telegram app. Through these conversations, Victoria revealed she was from Malaysia, but now lives in Beverly Hills, owns multiple properties, co-owns a hair salon, and has investments in real estate,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim discovered a crypto asset trading website named Spotalertweb.com through a Telegram group. The victim opened an account, deposited $1,000.00, and began trading. But when the victim wanted to withdraw their money, the website asked for their crypto asset wallet address to begin the process. After they provided that, the website asked them to transfer more crypto assets to the website to process…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was persuaded by a love interest they met online to download an app called FPMOTC. The love interest showed how lucrative this app was for making money. The victim took out a loan to purchase crypto assets and then transferred them to an account they opened on the FPMOTC app. But when the victim wanted to withdraw funds, they were told that the account was frozen. First, the app told the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports their experience with a website called bitcoin-win.com. For about a month, the victim traded crypto assets on the website and was able to make both deposits and withdrawals of some funds. The victim increased their investment and placed larger trades. The victim shared emails from “Bitcoinwin” which showed what happened next: Hello! After bitcoin-win exchange review, because of the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reported that they received an email purporting to be from a company they use to hold a crypto asset wallet that read “Your wallet will be suspended, and your assets will be frozen.” It went on to say that as a regulated financial company, in order to comply with KYC (“Know Your Customers”) rules they were required to verify all wallets on their platform. The email provided a link that read…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident complaint about the websites https://www.bityardpro.com and www. bityardit.com which they used as a platform to trade crypto assets. After believing they had profited from successful trades through the website, the victim attempted to withdrawal their assets, which they thought was approximately $700,000. The victim then heard from the website that they needed to pay taxes first which…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met a lady by the name of Lucy Barney aka Lucy Lee on LinkedIn who gained the victims’ trust by stating she wanted to start a non-profit to help autistic children. The victim believed "Lucy” who said they could make money by trading in crypto assets. Lucy helped the victim set up an account on moodyfx.com account and showed them how to wire money to an exchange to purchase crypto assets and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was contacted by “Jan Thomson & Brewee Lindasay” through Telegram chat about a cryptocurrency investment. Jan and Brewee promised the victim that a $50,000 investment would earn profits of $100,000 to $200,000. The victim was instructed to purchase crypt assets and send them to website us.gocoinoptions.com. Jan and Brewee provided screenshots showing the victim had indeed made profits, but…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian victim downloaded the BitFunds app on his phone via the Google Play Store. BitFunds purportedly allowed users to invest in what it advertised as “cloud mining”. Investors were promised a share of miners' profits or mined bitcoin. BitFunds also claimed that the more money you invested, the faster you would accumulate a portion of the mined bitcoin. The victim, having paid $200, never received the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim signed up for what she believed to be a cryptocurrency exchange platform called Julysil at https://justtice.com/. She registered on the platform through an individual on twitter named ‘Annie.’ The victim attempted to withdraw $36,000 from her account, which she believed held $136,000. However, she was unable to complete the withdrawal, receiving an email stating that it failed due to an…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim believed he was trading on the cryptocurrency exchange platform, https://www.mt7coin.com/. The victim had initially invested approximately $700 in the exchange and believed his account had grown to over $10,000. Hoping to cash out his earnings, he tried to make a withdrawal. Instead, he was contacted by an individual named “Dora” who insisted that although the exchange owes him $9,500, he…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim sent bitcoin that he owned to cryptocurrency platform pinance.io. He decided to move his bitcoin, worth around $21,000 at the time, to pinance.io based on the favorable online reviews he read. Unfortunately, the site was a scam and ultimately shutdown in October 5, 2021. The victim has not recovered any of his bitcoin. It appears that at least 36 other people were victims of this scam.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident clicked on a website that appeared as a sponsored ad on Google. The website address is shown as appradiantcapital.com or appradiant-capital.org. Once the California resident opened the website, someone attempted to open her wallet extensions and connect to different chains, and also repeatedly requested access to her assets in other accounts. The victim was able to freeze her accounts before…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim believed he was depositing funds in a cryptocurrency exchange on website dahuatop.com. This cryptocurrency exchange has also appeared on uobvip.com and dahuagvip.com. The victim joined the exchange through a representative named ‘Nina.’ After depositing his funds, he attempted to make a withdrawal, but received an email from [email protected] stating that his withdrawal had been interrupted…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim filed a complaint with DFPI about the crypto asset exchange, bitcoinvestcloud.com. The victim was contacted by a customer service representative named “Mindy” through WhatsApp and was directed to invest funds in the exchange. He used crypto.com to send funds to a “Trust Wallet.” When he made attempts to withdraw his funds, he was requested to pay additional fees as prerequisites to the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California widowed mother of four children, reports she fell victim to a crypto investment scam after she befriended “Victoria Ruth” on Facebook who claimed to be a “Senior Expert Trading manager” at “CryptoCurrency forex trade/bitcoin mining.”. “Victoria” offered to teach the victim how to invest in crypto. Following “Victoria’s” instructions, the victim made a modest $200 initial investment by purchasing…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports he fell victim to a crypto scam after a friend urged him to invest money in a Bitcoin mining company, “Crystal Linkz FX.” Less than two hours after making his initial investment of $950, the victim’s account balance appeared to quintuple, showing a $5,000 profit. When he attempted to invest further funds, the victim was told that he would need to upgrade his account, for $2,000. Victim paid…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗At least three Californians and one non-Californian report they lost money to scammers utilizing the website https://coinrus.com/. The first Californian victim met “Samanta” when she “accidentally” sent a text message to the wrong number: his. Over the course of several weeks, the victim and “Samanta” became friendly, and their conversations moved from text messages to the Telegram application. Eventually…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian claims to have lost more than $9,200 to scammers after responding to a text message from stranger named “Lilly” who then struck up a conversation. The conversation deepened and Lilly asked that they communicate on WhatsApp and then on the Telegram instant messaging platform, where she used the handle “@Lily666666.” Eventually, “Lilly” convinced the victim she was romantically interested, and also…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports that he was contacted via direct message on Instagram by a stranger calling himself “Donald Henry,” who claimed to be a crypto investor. While the victim was initially wary of investing with someone he did not know, “Donald” spent months convincing the victim that he could mirror “Donald’s” trading success using the same AI software “Donald” did. The victim claims that he had an agreement…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reported losing more than $45,000 after responding to a text message from “Angela,” who implied she had found his phone number in her old phone and decided to reach out to him. Angela then asked that they continue their conversation on Telegram, where she told the victim she was originally from Belarus but now ran her own Fashion Design company in San Francisco. She told the victim about her…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that he lost more than $750,000 after striking up a relationship with a scammer calling herself “Jenny Wang.” The two communicated primarily over the instant messaging app Line Chat, and “Jenny” convinced the victim that he could make a lot of money trading cryptocurrency. After “Jenny” walked him through the process of registering for the trading platform and setting up his wallets,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim received a friend request on Facebook from “Helen” (aka Zhong Leying) who eventually persuaded him to invest in crypto assets. She sent him a link to the trading platform “Hong Kong Selead Group Limited” where he registered for a foreign exchange trading account. The victim made multiple wire transfers to the site, sending approximately $2.9 million. With the assistance of “Sally” at Hong Kong…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim got a notification on the Viber App about “fast profits in Bitcoin investments.” Intrigued, the victim followed a link to “Filecoins Foundation.” There, he was connected with “Adeline” who convinced him she could teach him how to trade Bitcoin. Over time he sent $58,130.15 to the site. Following Adeline’s instructions, he believed he was trading Bitcoin every day and the website showed his…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians separately complain about the crypto asset exchange, wincoinin.com. The first victim met “Lucy Cheong” via LinkedIn and they began having conversations over the phone. After a while, Lucy suggested that they invest together in crypto assets. Lucy showed the victim how to create an account on “crypto.com” and told them to transfer money from their bank into a “Trust Wallet” and then deposit their…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met “Jenny” on the dating app Hinge who introduced him to a crypto mining operation she was participating in. She seemed very knowledgeable in finance and the victim trusted her to help set up an account with a defi protocol on the website: defi.wallet-usdt-eth-erc20.com. He initially put in $1,000.00 to test the system, and since it appeared to be working, he put in an additional $21,000.00.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim received an email with an official-looking government logo claiming to be from the “U.S. Department of Cyber Security” and that it was the “Official Service for Control and Compensation Payments.” The email claimed that the victim was owed compensation for a cybersecurity breach at Bitcoin. The email had a “Personal notification” number and a link to “Open the official website of the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident was on Twitter when a pop-up ad appeared stating “Welcome to 5000BTC GiveAway!” He clicked the link and was taken to “thebigmars.com” website where took a quiz and passed. He then got a message that read “To participate, send the amount you want multiplied (from 0.02BTC to 1 BTC) to the address below and, once we have received your transaction, we will immediately send the multiplied amount…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met “Luna” through social media and they communicated through Telegram and WhatsApp. Luna claimed to live in Manhattan, New York, and own a clothing company. After becoming friendly, one day Luna asked the victim to install an app for trading crypto assets. Luna told the victim you could select the amount you wanted to invest on the app, select whether you thought the crypto asset was going to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met “Annette” online who convinced him to invest in crypto assets, promising high returns. He started sending smaller denominations to the trading platform Annette directed him to and was convinced he had made money. He then put in more money, first $10,000, then $20,000 and each time the platform showed he was making a very high rate of return. Then Annette suggested they could make a lot of…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim met someone on an online dating app. At some point, the scammer instructed the victim to send crypto assets to what the victim believed was a legitimate banking app based in Singapore. But the scammer provided fake instructions so that the victim’s money went into the crypto asset wallet belonging to the scammer instead. The victim deposited Ethereum (ETH) into the scammer’s account on three…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports that “Bill” reached out to her via Instagram where they communicated for about 2 weeks before Bill asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp. Bill then mentioned trading in crypto assets and asked if she was interested. The victim agreed and Bill sent her the links and instructed her on how to create accounts on and the platform Energise Trade. With Bill’s help, the victim started…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A victim reported they met “Lisa Harris”, who had a presence on multiple online platforms (i.e., Telegram ID@LisaHarrisup, https://t.me/lisareviews, and Telegram channel name Lisa Trader.) Lisa enticed the victim with an investment opportunity that promised good returns in 24 hours. Victim sent $100 worth of crypto assets through kucoin exchange, but never got back any principal or profit.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California victims fell victim to the same fraudulent crypto asset scam after scammers directed them to the website “liquldohn.com/h5.” The first victim met Fergus Lee through LinkedIn, and they then communicated through the online app Line. Fergus showed the victim how to set up an account on Crypto.com and gave him the link to “liquldohn.com/h5.” The victim started with $1,000 and got back $607 on his first…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians fell victim to a scam run through the app “Bitcoin Bonus.” The first victim received an e-mail stating that she had signed up for a free Bitcoin mining site. The victim watched the account grow for about a year, and believed at one point, she had $32,000 waiting to be claimed. Then the victim received a message saying she had 24 hours to claim the money, or the account would be deleted. The…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians fell victim to the scam website A A16Zcrypto.cc/H5/#, which they believed was a legitimate website run by a well-known venture capital firm. The first victim met a woman named “Lena” via LinkedIn. Lena directed the victim to the website A16Zcrypto.cc/H5/# where the victim believed he would be able to invest his money into the crypto asset industry. Instead, the money went into the scammer’s…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two Californians fell victim to a phone crypto asset exchange, calling itself “BC Group” with an address at bcgmts.vip. The first victim met “Zhou Lin” on Instagram and began trading on bcgmts.vip. At some point, the victim had opened two wallets, one for trade gains which he believed was worth $1.4 million, and one for taxes, which he believes held $350,000. But when he tried to withdraw funds, he was told he…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was approached by Wenya “Alisa” Chen via Instagram, who then asked them to move the conversation to WhatsApp to continue a friendly relationship. At some point, Alisa introduced him to trading cryptocurrency options through a platform called “Changellytrade”. At different points, the victim was able to withdraw $11,000 and then $50,000. Eventually the victim transferred $1.2 million and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two California victims report falling victim to the International Cryptocurrency Exchange Trading Platform, which operated various websites to engage in fraud. The first victim met “Serena” on WhatsApp. She showed the victim how to buy crypto assets from legitimate sites, and then transferred it to the crypto trading site, icetrad.cc. After a few weeks of “trading” on the site, Serena said it was time to withdraw…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian met a person online and reported that he fell victim to a Romance Scam. He was asked to invest in spot gold trading on what turned out to be fake platforms. He lost more than $150,000.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports he met “Xingzhao Li” on Facebook who directed him to move the conversation to WhatsApp where they became friends. No romance was involved, just shared interests and friendly chat. She built up the victim’s trust and claimed to have an aunt who managed a successful cryptocurrency analyst group for a large investment company. Xingzhao introduced the victim to “node mining,” which she…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A Californian reports to the DFPI that a crypto asset trading platform called OpenSoil claims to operate an App, but rather than being available through a legitimate App store, it can only be installed through a link. The main purpose of the app is to get people to join and add funds to the Open Soil platform to then carry out "arbitrage trades". However, there is no evidence such trades were carried out and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim, a single parent with health issues, received a direct message via Instagram from a friend who told her that he had invested $1,000 and got a return of $10,000, and that she could earn money, too, by contacting cherry_thaddeusfx on Instagram. Victim reached out to “Cherry” and told her she was interested in investing. Cherry was very smart and said she mined for bitcoin. She also claimed to be an account…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports that his elderly father has been scammed by a stranger on the internet. He says his father received a phone call from a stranger who then gained his trust by sending text message, and encouraging him to begin communicating through the Line app. Eventually, the stranger convinced the victim she could give him investment advice, and helped the victim move money in and out of bank…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Victim opened a digital wallet on HOO.com and deposited money. At some point, he believed he had $10,000 in his account. Then, HOO.com claimed it was going to change his money into their own token “HUSDT.” The victim says this rendered his account valueless. Now neither his wallet nor the HOO website are functioning.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Victim was approached by “Hao Yang” who instructed him to buy cryptocurrency on Coinbase and send it a website called “NYMEX” where he believed he had opened an account. Eventually he invested more than $650,000. At some point, his NYMEX account showed it was worth at least $10 million funds, but when he tried to withdraw the funds, he could no longer contact the company.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim reports a fraudulent website promoting a crypto scam promising 718% returns on crypto staking. The promoter of the scam, “Noah Crypto” also posted YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/watchtv?v=bOAFPE6k25Q.The victim tried to invest, but when he connected his wallet, his 350 SNX tokens disappeared.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Victim reported her friend’s Instagram account got hacked by a bitcoin scammer with the username “Becky Bitcoin”- who convinced her to send $1,000 to make money. The scammer then asked the victim to send more money. The victim refused and asked for her $1,000 back. Becky Bitcoin then asked the victim to change her e-mail address on IG to a new address. The victim became suspicious and realized Becky…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Victim reports that he was approached online by a person claiming to be Benito Revilla about a crypto investment. In fact, it was a scam, and the website the scammer used, https://benitorevilla.com., is impersonating a legitimate broker-dealer agent in Texas, employed by USAA Investment Services. Working with USAA Investment Services, DFPI has posted a Consumer Alert about this imposter…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California Victim was persuaded to invest in Bitcoin mining by an old Navy Friend via Instagram. Victim made many separate transactions and deposits starting in May 2022. The victim was told they were assigned a broker named Taylor Williams who would communicate via WhatsApp, The victim was told his money was earning profits through Bitcoin mining and he believed his account balance had increased from $13,700…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim was introduced by an acquaintance to a Defi Trading platform. The victim purchased Tether USDT crypto currency from Crypto.com, then connected his offline wallet to the exchange and began trading USDT/Bitcoin futures contracts. The victim believed he was trading very successfully, so he transferred more money into the platform and believed his acquaintance was also crediting money into his…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California victim complains about an internet scammer going by the name of Manapool, which claims to be a decentralized crypto trading platform whose web address www.Manapool-eth.info/# works in the browser page of Coinbase wallet, a popular crypto app. The victim got into decentralized crypto trading after meeting a woman on the internet who claimed to be from mainland China. Since September of 2022, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗A California resident reports they recently fell victim to a scam, after they met a stranger online who offered to teach him how to make money trading crypto options. The stranger walked the victim through how to setup apps and create a Coinbase wallet. The stranger encouraged the victim to start by investing $2,850. Then, the stranger told the victim they were making profits and pushed him to add more funds.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was contacted by “George” about a cryptocurrency investment, promising that if she invested $250,000 and the company reached the investment goal, the victim could qualify for seven Ethereum tokens. Not only did the victim lose the $250,000, but the scammers were able to steal another $40,000 from the victim’s wallet. Scammers then told victim she needed to invest another $310,000 by a certain date to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim thought he was investing in cryptocurrency through the website osoptionsexhchange.com and sent U.S. dollars. Scammers provided screen shots showing profits, but when victim tried to withdraw the money, he lost all contact with company.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a woman he thought was in love with him. After victim shared his dream of wanting to buy a motor home and travel, the scammer convinced him she could help him reach his goal through cryptocurrency. The victim gave the scammer $64,000 to invest in Tahoe Digital Exchange. The scammer then told him his investment was now worth almost $200,000. But when the victim tried to transfer the money out, Tahoe…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a man online, and they began a relationship. After talking about the future, the scammer told her that for a better retirement she should invest in Hodlsofltd.com. Victim transferred money into a cryptocurrency exchange and then invested in the website. She was told she needed to keep her money there for four months before she could withdraw. She could view her account statement online showing…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Yun Wang” on the Facebook Dating App. She got him interested in Ethereum cryptocurrency mining and sent him a link for a company in which he could invest, fun-eth.com. Victim opened a Coinbase wallet and transferred money to fun-eth.com with Yun Wang’s encouragement. He believed he had profits of more than $14,000, but then his money disappeared. The company operated the websites at…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The company, Private Money, advertises itself as a private crypto wallet available at https//privmoney.com. A California resident deposited 18 Bitcoin, and now cannot withdraw.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim participated in a livestream event on YouTube where subject offered “2 for 1 airdrop of Bitcoin or Ethereum, i.e., any Send will be returned with twice the Receive, up to 25000 ETH & 5000 BTC” for 24 hours. Victim sent 3 ETH and received a message from a Chat agent (translated from Russian as “Thanks for allowing me to eat.”) Victim then realized it was a scam. The company operated a website at…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was contacted by “Lotus Nina Ivanovna” who said she could help with cryptocurrency trading. Victim transferred coins from legitimate crypto brokerages to the scam site: https://mobile.coinbaseltdus.com/pc.html. Afterward, victim received a message on the website claiming her account was locked for verification and that she needed to transfer more money to the account to unlock. Victim then realized it…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim accepted a Friend Request on Facebook from “Alvin Robel.” After exchanging pleasantries, “Alvin” asked to move the chat to WhatsApp where victim thought they were developing a relationship. After a few months, Alvin brought up trading cryptocurrencies as a way to help achieve financial goals. Alvin instructed the victim how to set up accounts on legitimate crypto platforms like crypto.com and the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a person calling themselves “Heitor Ryan” on the internet who claimed to work at a bank. They chatted as friends for several months, then Heitor lured the victim into investing on a crypto website that turned out to be a fraud. Victim thought they were investing in a liquidity mining pool called uniswap.llc that the person online promised would provide a high rate of return based on “tiers”…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim #1, a front-line health care worker, and Victim #2 met with someone on the Muslim social app Salam who called herself “Anna” and exchanged numbers. This person then directed the victims onto WhatsApp where they began a friendship. Anna claimed to work for the community, orphans and doing free medical camps for the low resource populations. At some point Anna introduced the victims to crypto telling them…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was contacted by an individual through Facebook promising great returns in cryptocurrency investing. Victim wired funds to Coinbase to purchase cryptocurrency, then sent that to the MetaTrader5 platform through his mobile device. The scammer showed a demo example where a $100,000 investment could earn profits of $11,000. The scammer showed victim pictures of her lavish lifestyle and said she could help…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim met someone calling herself “Rosalie” on WhatsApp, who introduced him to eth-Wintermute.net, telling the victim this would generates dividends on liquidity pools every 6 hours based on the amount of money put into the MetaMask app wallet. The scammer walked the victim through the process where he downloaded the BinanceUS and MetaMask apps on his phone, then used the MetaMask browser to connect to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Yuna Li”, who also called herself “Alicia” on Instagram. Alicia said she resided in West Hollywood, and after chatting for a few days, Alicia told the victim they could make money by trading Ethereum on the Meta Trader 5 (MT5) platform. Alicia said she could get inside information (known as trading signals) from her Uncle working in finances. She told the victim they would only trade when her…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Mrs. Linda” and they communicated through WhatsApp. At some point, Linda convinced the victim to open an account with Reliable Option Trade and told him to deposit $500. Victim then got a message from the company’s Support Team saying he could get Bitcoin if he deposited another $1,000 into his account. Then he was asked to deposit another $3,500 but he told them he didn’t have that amount, so…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a woman calling herself “Jiang Yingying” on social media and they communicated on WhatsApp, Telegram, and through text messaging. At some point, Jiang convinced him to open a crypto account, so he transferred $500 from his debit card, then transferred the cryptocurrency to a Chinese exchange at first called rbhoodc.com, but later it changed its name to rbhoodz.com, then changed again to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Gina Lee’ online who asked him to wire money to the Meta Trader 5 platform to trade cryptocurrency through Dilong Trading Limited. Then his bank called and warned him it’s possibly a fraud scheme. Victim lost $120,000.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Mike Vestil” on Instagram. They talked and at some point Mike told her she could make money investing. He introduced her to “Jason Brandon”, who offered to show her how to trade Bitcoin to make money. Jason instructed her to start a plan with a minimum of $500-$1000 for 5-7 days trade. The victim transferred Bitcoin into Jason’s wallet at infinityoptions.net. After that, Jason asked for more money…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was referred by a friend to gechains.com, a cryptocurrency trading platform. Victim opened an account, and started trading with a small amount of money, but then got a call from “Betty” an associate at GE Chains, who asked the victim to put more money into the trading account, so the victim deposited $5,000 more into account. Betty pushed him again to put more money in, so he deposited $5,000 more.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim said that Tony Alin Berker asked them for $6,000 to invest, saying there would be no other fees. Then, Tony asked the victim for another $11,000 to “merge the accounts.” Then Tony said the victim needed to $8,100 for IRS fees. The victim paid Tony all the money, and he promised the victim they would get $270,000. But the victim never received anything back. Victim also said a good friend also lost…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Dylan Lee” on Zoosk and started communicating with him on WhatsApp. Dylan told the victim he invested in Bitcoin and invited her to invest. The victim made an initial investment of $3,000. Dylan then told the victim her account was now worth $250,00 with interest. Dylan told the victim to withdraw the money from MUFG Pro, but they told the victim she had to pay $42,000 in taxes. Then MUFG Pro told…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim was contacted on Instagram by “Stefanie Kammerman” who said she lived in Las Vegas. Stefanie directed the victim to buy Bitcoin and open a trading account with www.trade1960.com. But when he wanted to take some money out, Stefanie said he had to wait 6 months to withdraw. The victim then emailed [email protected] and was told he needed to pay a broker fee of $3,500 in bitcoin. Now he wants his money back.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Aimee Liu Jing” online on the dating site OkCupid. Aimee asked to continue the conversation on WhatsApp. Aimee then offered to teach the victim about trading digital assets. The victim purchased cryptocurrency through the Coinbase platform and then transferred money to an App which victim thought was associated with a legitimate company. Victim transferred more than $1 million in 10 different…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim transferred more than $1,400,000 from Coinbase to an app-based cryptocurrency trading platform. Victim was able to withdraw more than $45,000. Victim then executed multiple trades through that platform and believed approximately $8-9 million was in the account. But when the victim asked the platform to move the funds back to Coinbase, he was told that the funds were frozen, and that he needed to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Nisa Gacias (aka Champion)” online who introduced to investing in cryptocurrency. He started by transferring $25,000 to the crypto trading platform ZC Exchange, then added $100,000 more. Everything seemed to be fine during this time and as he believed his investment was growing in value, he continued to put in more money. At some point, the victim believed his account held $1.2 million Tether, and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was introduced to “Enze Zhao” in a WeChat group. Zhao told the victim he was interested in her, and they continued to communicate. The victim gradually fell in love, believing she and Zhao shared many interests and values. Zhao told the victim he was an economics major and his hobby is to earn extra money through Rui Win Capitals LTD. Zhao convinced the victim they had a future together, but wanted her…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim reported a multilayered scam operation orchestrated by Sunbitproa.com where she transferred approximately 13 Ethereum via a Binance wallet. The company operated the website at https://SunBitProa.com.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim reported meeting “Li Xiao” on LinkedIn, who then suggested they move further communication onto the Line app. There, Li Xiao claimed that she could offer advice on how to trade Binary Options through cryptocurrency and sent an invite link onto the platform. However, instead of downloading an app, the platform asked Victim to download a “configuration profile” onto his Apple device. Victim believed they…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The first victim was contacted on WhatsApp by a stranger claiming they worked for an investment firm called "Yong Ying Global Investment Co." The stranger convinced the victim to wire money using the Meta5 trading platform to purchase crypto currency. Essentially, the victim wired more than $450,000, believing that the money was being put into an investment account. At some point, the victim tried to withdraw the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Two separate victims reported meeting a person on dating app “Coffee Meets Bagel,” who then asked to move the chat to WhatsApp, where the victims believed they were beginning a relationship. The scammer claimed to be rich and could teach each victim how to trade cryptocurrency. Both victims sent money to this person to purchase cryptocurrency and were told the money would be invested in CoinMicro. Victim #1 gave…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Mia” on WhatsApp who told him about an investment opportunity he thought was related to the Chicago Merchant Exchange. Victim was directed by the online stranger to send money to a website. Victim invested nearly $25,000 and was emailed account statements from [email protected] showing he had made profits of nearly $100,000. When the victim tried to withdraw funds, he received an email stating he…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim, a new mom, saw a person on Tik Tok discussing passive income opportunities, and sent a message to her. The woman on Tik Tok messaged her back and they continued to communicate via WhatsApp. The woman on Tik Tok told her about a website called Cointrade Mining and sent the victim screenshots on how to open an account on the site. The woman on Tik Tok told the victim to download an App called Strike and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim opened an account at what he believed was a legitimate crypto exchange platform, but instead dealt with a platform using a similar name, coinlistro.com. Victim believed he was day-trading on that platform and eventually the website showed he had a balance of more than $95,000. At that point, he asked to withdraw his funds through the customer service portal. He received a message saying he needed to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was involved in a scam where she lost $87,000.00. She began communicating with a group of “friends” through text message, who then connected her to a telegram group. Over the telegram group, the “friends” texted each other for almost a month just to have conversations about world events. At some point, one of the friends shifted the conversation to stock and market conditions. The friend showed the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim opened an account on this website after being referred by a friend “Lisa.” She was subsequently contacted by “Roman” who, communicating through Line Chat, told the victim he was an expert in economics, and could teach her step by step how to make money. During the next few weeks Roman convinced her to put in as much money as she could, including borrowing money from friends or taking out a loan if…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Chris Martin” on the Facebook Dating app. They exchanged text messages and then moved the conversation to Telegram. At some point, “Chris” suggested that the victim invest in crypto currency. The victim transferred a small amount of money to Coinbase and Crypto.com, and then forwarded the crypto currency to the coinbasetv website to test the site and practice trading. Chris helped the victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was communicating with “Mr. Colin Rusch” and “Ms. Anne” in a WhasApp group that claimed to be investors in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and Ethereum. The group connected the victim to the website coinftx.io, which they claimed was an international crypto market. The group offered to show her an investing plan where they tell everyone when to buy crypto and when they had made money. After a while. “Ms.…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim received a WhatsApp invitation link text to join a trading group called BTC Investment. Victim contacted the group admin “Hannah” who helped her set up her account with bxbcc.com. Victim then transferred $500 and started trading with the group. Victim thought things were going well for a couple weeks and even withdrew some money just to be sure. “Hannah” then pressured her to increase her investment to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a person on WeChat who convinced her to invest in cryptocurrency mining. Victim followed scammer’s instructions to transfer $12,000 to a cryptocurrency exchange, and then to the site coinbase.iii36.vip to begin mining. Victim tried to withdraw money from her account but was told she needed to wait 24 hours. Soon after, she got notice that all her cryptocurrency had been transferred out of her…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim complained that they invested Bitcoin in this company that operates the website https://247cryptobase.com and lists a phony California address. Now the victim believes the company is a scam and wants a refund.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim joined a trading blog on social media where he met “Mr. Charlie” and “Tina” claiming to be from Fitbela Epro Limited (“Fitbela”), a Forex currency trading company, located in the United Kingdom. Mr. Charlie and Tina convinced the victim to open a Forex trading account on the Meta 5 Trading platform, promising high returns. The victim sent $10,000 and was told that his account had quickly increased in…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was contacted via Instagram by “Anna” who complimented her about a music video she posted. They struck up a conversation which continued for a few weeks with daily contacts about shared interests - including cryptocurrencies. At one point, “Anna” sent a screenshot of her Forex trading account, which contained a huge amount of money, and offered to help the victim trade, promising she could make enough…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim, with the assistance of family and friends, began investing in cryptocurrency through the website www.cryotocurrencybtx.com. After investing about $99,000 into this account using Coinbase Wallet platform and ImToken wallet platform, the victim believed he had made a profit of more than $350,000. He was initially able to withdraw small amounts, but when he sought a larger withdrawal, he received a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗Victim met “Margaret Charles” on Facebook who said she could help invest in Bitcoin. “Margaret” directed victim to a trading platform and said she would then see her investment grow, promising profits in seven days. After seven days, Margaret told the victim they had made enough money, and that she should upgrade her account to get a profit in 24 hours. Once the 24 hours passed, Margaret asked the victim to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim deposited Bitcoin on several occasions into an account on the cryptocurrency platform altcoins-exchange.com. After being confused by the fees and instructions, the victim called Customer Service but did not get help. Now the victim can’t get her money back. The company operated the website at https: //altcoins-exchange.com. This is not to be confused with the website altcoinexchange.com.
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Mingyi,” who convinced her to invest in bitcoin, promising she would make money. Mingyi convinced the victim to transfer money from Cryptal.com to a fake platform at https://www.bitstampnd.info/#/. When the victim wanted to withdraw her money from the fake platform, she received a message saying her investment had grown to more than $300,000 but the tax department at the company said she needed to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a woman on the online dating app Tinder. She offered to show the victim how to make money spot trading gold. The scammer had the victim open an account on the Meta Trader 5 trading platform and simulate some trades, which showed the victim making money. The scammer also directed the victim to open an account on another platform, trader.bfy-c.co. After the simulated trading, the scammer then…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim got a text message from a stranger calling herself “Arina” a divorced woman from Singapore living in Irvine, California. The initial contact was a “wrong number” but eventually gained the victim’s trust through repeated texts, and at some point asked to move the conversation to the Telegram app. There, the conversation turned to investing and Arina claimed she was making great profits and offered to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim received a notification on Instagram that “Rembrandt Flores” was requesting to follow her. She thought the request was from somebody she knew. Rembrandt sent her a message saying hi and asking to talk about her day. At some point, Rembrandt asked to move the conversation over to WhatsApp, and there, mentioned cryptocurrency trading, telling the victim he could show her how to invest. He directed her to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was introduced to Tokenswap.net by “Hayley” who told him he could make money. Victim invested several times and believed he had made a profit, but when he tried to withdraw the money he was first told he needed to make a deposit for taxes owed to the IRS. Then, he received an email from the website that asked him to submit a selfie holding an ID card, personal bank statements for the past three months,…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim invested $100,000 in online trading company through the Meta Trader 5 trading platform and started trading. At some point, he believed he had made profits exceeding $1.5 million, and made a request with the company to withdraw. They told him he needed to make a “risk deposit” of more than $300,000, which he deposited, and they then told him to wait one to three days for the funds to arrive in his…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim joined a digital exchange called Coinwpro.xyz and started investing, staking and mining there after the exchange promised he could make 2% daily. After the company represented his account was worth approximately $370,000 he requested a withdrawal. He was able to make several withdrawals of smaller amounts, but when he asked to withdraw more the company told him he needed to pay more than $100,000 for…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim claims this website is holding money he deposited to invest in cryptocurrency and demanding he pay taxes before he can withdraw. When he asked customer service why he couldn’t withdraw money and pay the taxes on his, the said if he didn’t pay the taxes to them he faced consequences such as negatively affecting his credit score, and possibly prison. The company operated the website at https://…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a stranger on WhatsApp calling herself “Lydia ( Chin Liu )” who claimed to live in Manhattan. She encouraged the victim to open an account at MT5 Coin Tiger and said she would teach him to invest. Later, she suggested the victim change to a new platform that Lydia claimed belonged to her family in Hong Kong. Lydia showed the victim how to transfer money from Coin Tiger to her family’s platform, and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Kathy Lina” on a dating site and they began talking and texting for about a month, during which time she kept showing the victim how much money she was making with a certain crypto investment site. Eventually, the victim deposited money. The victim reported that all communication with the website was through a chatbot help window. He believed he had a balance of more than $16,000, but he tried to…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was contacted on WhatsApp by a woman named “Letty” claiming she knew him. They texted back and forth and became friends. One day Letty showed the victim how much she made trading gold on the Meta Trader 5 trading platform. At first, Letty had the victim set up a demo account to show how it was done. Then, Letty proposed he set up a real account and sent a website link where he could deposit…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Ms Vianne” on the LINE app. Vianne convinced the victim to open an account with HGEex to trade options for profit. Vianne showed the victim she had made profits and asked him to help her trade, which he thought he was doing successfully. Vianne then convinced the victim he should invest his own money. He sent more than $20,000 to a cryptocurrency exchange, then transferred the cryptocurrency to an…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim started investing and trading on what he believed was a cryptocurrency platform. He believed he had made profit and requested a withdrawal from the platform. He was told he needed to pay taxes on the profits before he could withdraw, which he did, but then was told that had overpaid the tax by a few cents, and therefore had to pay the entire tax amount again. After he made that tax payment, the…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a person who called themselves “Lili Chen” on the communication app Zoosk. After communicating for a while, Lili began talking about investing in crypto. Lili told the victim she wanted them to spend their lives together. Lili had the victim send money to the website, which she claimed was a trading platform, and said he could make large profits. She even showed the victim he could put money back…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Yin Chang” (who also uses the name “Vivian Change”) through WhatsApp and they started talking on Telegram. He even met her once in a coffee shop in Brentwood, California. At some point, “Vivian” contacted the victim on his cellphone and told him she could help him invest money in crypto currency and get a very good return. Scammer told the victim to invest through the website…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met a person online calling herself “Anna Lee” who also went by the name “Lina.” Lina lured the victim to a cryptocurrency exchange and said she would help the victim trade in the account to make money. Lina told the victim she had placed $80,000 of her own crypto into the account too to build the victim’s trust. Lina began assisting the victim to trade on the site and eventually told the victim that…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim was messaged on Facebook by a stranger calling herself by “Belen Li”. After a few weeks of communicating, Belen Li offered to teach the victim how to trade cryptocurrency. She encouraged the victim to open a Crypto.com account and transfer money to the Meta Trader 5 trading platform and then into an account he opened at a website Belen Li told him about. Belen Li convinced the victim he had made a…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim sent approximately $15,000 worth of cryptocurrency to a trading platform to trade and earn money. But when he tried to withdraw some funds, the platform’s customer service rejected his request, saying he needed to pay taxes or approximately $23,000 first. After he paid that amount, customer service told him it would take 15 business days to complete the tax deduction. He waited more than 2 months, and…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim received a text from a stranger named “Sally” and began communicating with her. She suggested that they moved their conversations to an app called Telegram. At some point, Sally told the victim he could making money trading cryptocurrency on an online platform and sent him a link to establish an account. Sally then began providing instructions on when to buy and sell the crypto coin Sheb. Victim…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗The victim met “Samantha Yeelina” on a dating app, and they began talking via phone calls and text messages. After some time, Samantha told the victim that she was very good at trading cryptocurrency, and could help him make money, plus it would be a fun way to connect more. The victim started with a $1,000 investment, and was able to withdraw some of the funds, so he added more money. He believed his…
Official source: DFPI Crypto Scam Tracker ↗