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Scam Type

Romance Scam

Red Flag

  • Fake asset displays to build trust.
  • Massive fund transfers under the pretense of “testing” the platform.
  • Withdrawal blocked unless a fee is paid upfront.
  • Threats of legal action to force payments.
  • Encouragement to take out loans for scam fees.

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 a romantic connection to build trust, walking the victim through small initial transfers and fake account demonstrations. They inflated the victim’s confidence before convincing her to transfer large sums. Withdrawal attempts were blocked with fabricated fees and legal threats designed to pressure the victim into paying more money.

Potential Lost Funds

$280,000

Final Outcome

The victim lost all transferred funds and remains pressured to pay fees. The scammers maintain communication, using fear and reassurance to exploit her further.