On November 15, 2024, we received a heartbreaking report of a scam involving a total loss of approximately $502,053. The victim, a 64-year-old individual, described how they were manipulated into a romantic relationship with a scammer who appeared to be highly knowledgeable about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and smart contracts. The relationship, conducted primarily over WhatsApp with video chats, led the victim to trust the scammer entirely.

The scammer persuaded the victim to set up Crypto.com and Coinbase Wallet accounts and guided them to invest in what was described as a “secure Smart Contract” using USDC. Initially, small investments of $2,500 yielded promising returns, leading the victim to invest $30,000 more. Eventually, the scammer convinced the victim to commit their entire savings, including retirement funds, under the pretense of lucrative returns. As the victim’s money became locked in the contract, they were pressured to keep investing, draining all financial resources, including emergency and daily expenses.

The scammer lived a lavish lifestyle, as shown through photos of private jet travel and extravagant parties, and continued to make excuses and demands until disappearing when the investment supposedly matured. Despite efforts to communicate, including sending iMessages that appear delivered but receive no response, the victim remains devastated and hopeless, having lost their life savings and retirement security.

The blockchain addresses associated with the scam are:
0xf5c17df893a909a1467857a6b271303152c87fb7, 0xef4489157ba1bc6c361bcf53c7c9cefe636219bc, 0xa33f019e150d2f472f1fc255d96eb11417f142ef, and 0xd8d6db8537a305f73c4dfa8b3cffc9607fa5698b.

The scam operated through the website web3.today/#/pool.

The victim has reported the incident to the FBI Cyber Fraud portal but seeks additional advice and support, hoping that this scammer and their associates can be brought to justice.