Scam Type

Romance Scam, Pig Butchering Scam, Fraudulent Trading Platform

Red Flag

- Random Instagram outreach with a quick pivot to WhatsApp.
- Wild profit claims.
- Urging use of retirement savings.

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

Spun a web of trust online, lured victim to WhatsApp, hyped fake gains, coaxed hefty investments with grand promises, mimicked personal investment, and vanished without trace.

Potential Lost Funds

$300,000+

Final Outcome

No further contact from Sunny; platform defunct; no money retrieved.