Summary:
Sacramento woman loses $100,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.
Scammer posed as an investor, gaining trust over several months.
Leah transferred funds believing it was a legitimate investment.
FBI reported over $5.6 billion lost in scams in 2023.
Authorities emphasize the difficulty in recovering lost funds.
A Sacramento County woman, identified only as Leah, has tragically lost $100,000 in a cryptocurrency scam that lasted several months. The scammer, who posed as an investor, built a relationship with Leah through LinkedIn, eventually convincing her to invest her life savings into what she believed was a legitimate cryptocurrency opportunity.
The Deceptive Scheme
Leah shared her emotional story with KCRA 3, expressing her devastation: "This is like my whole life savings that I lost." The scam began in the summer of 2023, with the scammer gaining her trust through messages on LinkedIn before moving to WhatsApp.
Trust and Betrayal
Over several months, Leah was manipulated into transferring large sums of money into a cryptocurrency account, believing she was making a wise investment. "He was guiding me through the crypto and making deposits in my electronic wallet," Leah explained, unaware that the wallet address provided was actually the scammer’s.
The Aftermath
Once her account was drained, the scammer blocked her on all social media platforms. Leah immediately reported the incident to law enforcement, but the chances of recovering her funds are slim. Sgt. Amar Gandhi from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office highlighted the difficulty of tracking such crimes: "Once that money leaves your account, especially via crypto, it's very hard to trace."
A Broader Issue
The FBI reported that in 2023, over $5.6 billion was lost in cryptocurrency scams, underscoring the growing threat to individuals. Local authorities urge victims to report such scams, although Leah has yet to see any recovery of her funds.
"We'll call these criminals all kinds of names, but stupid is not one. They are very creative. They're smart and they're manipulative," said Sgt. Gandhi.
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