Scam Type

Romance Scam

Red Flag

  • Fake screenshots to build trust.
  • Claims of high profits with little trading experience.
  • Long, vague verification delays.

Details

The victim joined a trading blog on social media, where he met two individuals—“Mr. Charlie” and “Tina”—claiming to represent Fitbela Epro Limited, a UK-based Forex trading firm. They persuaded him to open a Forex trading account on the Meta 5 Trading platform and promised high returns. The victim initially invested $10,000 and was told the account had grown significantly, prompting him to invest even more. Following their direction, he eventually sent a total of $92,000 via wire transfer. Later, they claimed his account was now worth $200,000. When the victim attempted to withdraw his funds, he was told he needed to pay $87,000 in taxes before any money could be released. At that point, he recognized it as a scam.

Scammer Behaviour

The scammer used social bonding and emotional manipulation through ongoing casual conversation. She created credibility with fake screenshots and demo trades, then baited the victim into investing real crypto. Over time, she escalated the scam by pushing for more investment via referral tactics, then stalled the withdrawal process with fake verification delays, ultimately disappearing without explanation.

Potential Lost Funds

$76,000

Final Outcome

The victim never received any funds and lost the full amount invested. Communication from the scammer and the platform ceased entirely.