Scam Type

Online Trading Platform Scam

Red Flag

  • Sudden demand for a $300,000 “risk deposit” to release supposed profits.
  • Failure to deliver funds after promised timeline.
  • Introduction of an additional $100,000 penalty after the initial payment, clearly exposing the scam.

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 scammers manipulated the victim by showing fake profits to encourage continued investment and trust. When he attempted to withdraw, they demanded a massive “risk deposit,” and after payment, introduced yet another charge—a $100,000 penalty—with no intention of ever releasing the funds. Each step was designed to exploit the victim’s hope of recovering a growing, fake balance.

Potential Lost Funds

$400,000

Final Outcome

The victim never received any of the promised funds. All payments were lost.