A British woman has revealed how she lost her entire £34,000 inheritance to a sophisticated romance scam, after placing her trust in a charming man who promised lucrative returns on bitcoin investments.
The Charming Introduction and False Promises
In January 2017, the woman met a man she described as both charming and entertaining. He presented himself as an expert in bitcoin cryptocurrency and strongly encouraged her to invest. He made a persuasive pitch, telling her, "I will add you to my portfolio, then you will get more for your investment because wealthy people don't spend money, they invest."
He claimed to live in London, but the victim later discovered through her own detective work that this was a lie; he actually resided in Wales. The scammer had woven his falsehoods so proficiently and calmly that he was entirely believable.
The Pressure to Invest and the Fateful Decision
After a period of absence during the summer of 2017, the man reappeared. He was aware that the woman had received an inheritance and was renovating her apartment for her interior design business. He began to pester her, insisting she should invest more money with him.
He assured her that she could access the earnings from her investment at any time to fund her project. Thankfully, she resisted this further pressure. However, she already believed that her initial investment of £34,000 was sufficient and that, with bitcoin performing well, she would be able to pay off her mortgage in due course.
The Devastating Realisation and Police Inaction
The painful truth finally emerged on New Year's Eve 2017, when the man vanished once again. It was at this point she realised she had fallen for a scam and had lost all her money. "I felt sick to my stomach," she recalled, tormented by how she had let down her two sons and entrusted a virtual stranger with her finances.
The police eventually took her case seriously and launched an investigation. It transpired the man had scammed several other victims using the same method. Despite this, in a crushing blow, she was notified via email in December 2023 that her case was being closed due to insufficient evidence.
This story serves as a stark warning to others about the dangers of investment and romance scams, particularly in the volatile world of cryptocurrency, where fraudsters exploit trust for financial gain.
