AN unsuspecting woman has lost nearly everything after she was victimized by a cryptocurrency scam.
Online fraudsters ripped over $200,000 from the Arizona resident who clicked on what appeared to be a security alert pop-up.
“I didn’t talk to anybody about it. I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my son,” the victim who chose not to be named told CBS affiliate KTVK.
The horrifying scam began after the woman got an ad alerting her that her computer had been hacked.
She called a number that was provided, and a man on the line warned her that someone was trying to steal $14,500.
He told her the only way to save her money was to transfer it from her bank account into a Bitcoin wallet.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that exists outside of the traditional banking system and is normally safe for those starting their own accounts.
However, the scammer set up the account for the victim, and continually convinced her to shovel tens of thousands of dollars into the wallet.
He scared the lady by calling her nonstop and urging her to transfer money or else it would be stolen.
“I believed him. I really believed him,” she said, adding that she didn’t even know what Bitcoin was before the call.
“All the money went into my wallet, but I never got the money. He took it.”
The victim said her bank tried to stop her from taking out all of the cash, but the scammer had already sent her a script.
“He said that they were gonna try to do that,” she said.
“He told me not to say nothing to nobody. He said my phone, my computer… everything was hacked.”
When all was said and done, the woman had funneled $204,000 to the scammer.
She described the loss as “devastating.”
“I went to a very dark place,” she said through tears.
The victim felt so alone, that she even considered taking her own life, and called a crisis hotline for help.
It took her months to tell her friends and family about losing the money, but her situation got better once she had someone to talk to.
“My friend pulled me through, and my son,” she said.
Now, she considers herself a survivor and wants her story to help save others from losing everything.
Security experts urge account holders to independently contact their bank if anyone is questioning the security of their funds.
Fear-mongering and isolation tactics are both red flags that the person could be looking to steal money.
Ray Trapani is an infamous crypto scammer who helped steal $32 million from investors but he was still able to dodge prison.
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