Scam Type

Romance Scam, Pig Butchering Scam, Fraudulent Trading Platform, Brand Impersonation

Red Flag

  • Fake personal stories.
  • Rapid profit claims.
  • Fabricated taxes and threats of insider trading violations.
  • Fake customer service.

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

Initiated contact via social apps and fake mistakes, built trust with friendly or romantic chats, guided victims through legitimate platforms before migrating to Coinrus, used manipulated dashboards and staged trades, blocked withdrawals with fabricated errors and escalating fees.

Potential Lost Funds

$391,000

Final Outcome

None of the victims recovered funds. Coinrus.com is no longer accessible. Impersonation of Coinone.co.kr confirmed.