Bitcoin Scam: Woman Loses N62 Million on Facebook
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In a shocking Bitcoin scam, a woman from the United Kingdom has lost £80,000 (N62 million) to a fraudster
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The scammer used photos of a European politician Artis Pabriks to lure the woman into a romance and convince her to part with her money
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Authorities have revealed that romance scammers were able to collect more than $139 million in bitcoin scam and frauds involving other cryptocurrencies
Cybercrimes have spread to all industries recently, but the crypto space is one of the industries that is suffering most from its effects.
A recent report from the Federal Trade Commission disclosed that romance scammers made away with more than $139 million in cryptocurrency last year. This is more than 5 times the amount that was stolen in 2020.
These bitcoin scams are not limited to any country and one of the most recent victims was a woman from the United Kingdom that lost £80,000. According to The Sun, Sharon Bulmer made a new friend on Facebook in May 2020, when he sent her a message saying he was lonely. The scammer used the photos of a European politician Artis Pabriks, claiming that he was a US soldier that was posted in Syria. The fraudster claimed to be a 56-year-old Murphy Townsend from Washington DC with a teenage daughter.
After Sharon responded positively to his overtures and they became close, he started asking for money, receiving most through cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. According to Sharon, he claimed that most of the money was for hospital bills and plane tickets. It wasn’t until she called the US Army and was told that they have no Murphy Townsend on their rolls that she discovered that it was all a ruse. By then she was already £37,000 in debt. To keep your crypto safe and avoid scams, read our safety guide.
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