A romance scam has been identified on the fraudulent website GildedEdgeSecurities.com, where victims were tricked into investing significant sums of money through cryptocurrency, under the pretense of a romantic relationship that led to financial exploitation. The scam resulted in the loss of $105,552.00, with the perpetrators using Bitcoin to facilitate transactions. Victims were initially led to believe they were involved in a legitimate investment opportunity, but once they attempted to withdraw their funds, communication ceased, leaving them with no access to their supposed profits.

Overview of the Scam
The scammers behind GildedEdgeSecurities.com employed a romance scam strategy, where they built fake romantic relationships with their victims through online communication. Once trust was established, victims were convinced to make investments in cryptocurrency, particularly through Bitcoin transactions.

The victims were instructed to deposit Bitcoin into specific wallets controlled by the scammers, who assured them of high returns. However, when the victims attempted to withdraw their profits, the scammers stopped responding to their messages, confirming that they had been deceived.

The scam was carried out using Bitcoin payments, and the victims were never able to access the funds or profits they were promised. This tactic is particularly effective because it plays on the victim’s emotions, making it harder to recognize the signs of fraud until after they have invested substantial amounts of money.

Amount Lost and Scam Type
Victims of the GildedEdgeSecurities.com scam lost a total of $105,552.00. This money was transferred in Bitcoin to several different wallet addresses controlled by the scammers. The scam falls under the Romance Scam category, where fraudulent investment opportunities are presented as part of an emotional or romantic connection.

Scam Website Information
The fraudulent website GildedEdgeSecurities.com is designed to deceive users into believing they are investing in a legitimate platform. It promotes itself as a high-return investment opportunity but is nothing more than a front for a romance scam operation. Investigations have revealed that this website is registered under NameSilo, LLC, a domain registrar commonly used by scammers to hide their true identities.

The Nameservers for this domain are hosted by Contabo, a web hosting provider, further adding a layer of deception to the website’s operations. The domain also has no MX (Mail Exchange) records, which suggests that the scammers do not use email for communication once the scam has been carried out, preventing any direct contact with victims after they have made their investments.

Receiving Wallet Addresses

The following Bitcoin wallet addresses were used by the scammers to receive funds from victims:

1. bc1qaz0s6dy8jc0mh730g2pj36r3tga2p50mekuqqa
2. bc1q97gsmlme6x9j67vj94d7w2cw4jt0uy38vamd6l
3. bc1qg74wlafulv3ctx66t2c4axkzympyv8fudhldh7
4. bc1qedcn86jm9l3xpkgejv2f6ufqhzycq23qr9ywud
5. bc1q275e48wnn5ctat506p6y6uwqfgpf8htjfx6jk8
6. bc1qnjxep9735lwyyp5gjcd3uv9fndh2p7wgv52x9v
7. 1PXimikGJxPG4KoCncGdUDdRX7tUYEH3TF

These wallet addresses have been linked to the fraudulent activities of the platform and are the primary means through which the scammers received Bitcoin from victims. Investigators should focus on tracking the movements of funds from these addresses to potentially uncover additional information about the scammers’ operations.

Domain and Hosting Information
The domain GildedEdgeSecurities.com is registered with NameSilo, LLC, a domain registrar frequently associated with suspicious activity. The platform uses Contabo as its Nameservers, which is known for hosting many fraudulent websites. The lack of MX records for the domain is another red flag indicating that the website is intended to operate without direct communication with victims once the scam is carried out.

What Investigators Should Focus On
Tracking Wallet Transactions: Investigators should focus on analyzing transactions made to and from the wallet addresses provided above. Since the funds are in Bitcoin, the transactions are recorded on the blockchain and can be traced using blockchain analytics tools. Any subsequent movement of funds may reveal further information on the scammers or their network.
Domain Ownership and History: Investigating the ownership of GildedEdgeSecurities.com and any related domains could provide valuable clues about the individuals or groups behind the scam. Cross-referencing this information with other reports of similar scams may help to identify repeat offenders or other fraudulent platforms they may be operating.
Victim Reports and Connections: Investigators should seek out other individuals who may have been targeted by the same scam. Often, scammers operate across multiple platforms or domains, and uncovering similar reports could help build a more comprehensive profile of their methods and identity.

Call for Additional Information
If you have encountered the GildedEdgeSecurities.com platform or have been affected by this romance scam, we encourage you to share your experience and any additional information you may have. Your input could help expose the perpetrators and assist law enforcement in taking action against them. By working together, we can prevent others from falling victim to this type of fraud.