Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoreNews is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoreNews on whether to sell, buy or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk.
CryptoreNews covers fintech, blockchain and Bitcoin bringing you the latest crypto news and analyses on the future of money.
A 32-year-old resident of Polar Zori in the Murmansk region lost nearly 3.5 million rubles while attempting to profit from a cryptocurrency exchange and fell victim to a new scheme involving a fake lawyer, according to Russian police.
Related Posts
The victim reported that she encountered an investment opportunity in a messaging app and clicked on a link. Shortly after, she was contacted by an individual claiming to be a representative of an investment firm, who encouraged her to invest in cryptocurrency with promises of quick returns. Initially, she transferred about 36,000 rubles, followed by nearly 600,000 rubles over the next three weeks.
When she attempted to withdraw her funds and profits, she found her account access blocked. She was unable to reach the “exchange representative.” Subsequently, she sought legal assistance and discovered a related offer in the same messaging app, as reported by the police, who did not disclose the name of the app.
A person responding to the offer soon contacted the victim, identifying themselves as a lawyer and informing her of a supposed investigation that revealed her funds were held in accounts abroad. To recover her money, she was told she needed to open a cryptocurrency wallet and pay taxes and fines.
The resident of Polar Zori opened a cryptocurrency wallet and spent two months transferring money according to the provided details. The total amount transferred reached nearly 3 million rubles. When the “lawyer” refused to provide documentation regarding the paid taxes and fines, the woman realized she had fallen victim to another scam and reported it to the police. In total, the victim transferred 3.419 million rubles to the fraudsters.
She told the investigator that she was aware of such schemes from the news but believed she was communicating with representatives of a cryptocurrency platform and lawyers, not scammers. Russian authorities have initiated a criminal case for large-scale fraud (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Nizhny Novgorod region reported that a resident of Pavlov transferred approximately 6.3 million rubles to fraudsters in an attempt to profit from crypto investments.
