https://zcorg01.com, https://FTXbuy66.com
Romance Scam, Pig Butchering Scam, Fraudulent Trading Platform
- Promises of high returns.
- Large upfront tax demands.
- Additional fees for delays, and persistent demands for more money despite non-delivery.
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.
Built trust through personal engagement, showed fake account growth, demanded escalating fees (taxes, extension fees), and blocked withdrawals while urging more payments.
$525,000
Unable to withdraw funds; ongoing demands for more payments; no recovery reported.