Resident of Yeniseisk invests millions in fraudulent crypto exchange after meeting a woman
Title: Man Falls Victim to Fake Crypto Platform in Online Scam
In the chilly reaches of Siberia, a man was duped out of millions, lured by the allure of crypto trading. He met a woman online, someone who later claimed to be a cryptocurrency trader. After some time, she persuaded him to try his hand at trading too.
Last year, in the heart of April, a 28-year-old resident of Eniseisk, intrigued by the crypto world, made a connection online. Months later, the woman disclosed her crypto trading activities and encouraged him to give it a shot.
The hapless victim accepted her offer, and eventually received a call from what he believed to be a brokerage firm's manager.
The woman explained the benefits of trading on the platform and introduced a "guide" or "advisor". This guide helped the man to register on a sham crypto exchange, giving instructions and sharing the secret to high income. In the end, the Eniseisk resident transferred the initial 330,000 rubles to the specified account on the fraudulent platform.
The con artists then convinced the man that his returns would depend directly on the amount invested, and suggested he apply for a loan.
The man took out a loan of 1.9 million rubles and over the following months, transferred an additional 2 million. The money borrowed from relatives and friends was used to secure a fictitious insurance policy and unlock his personal account on the service.
"After I made the final payment, they informed me that I needed to deposit more funds. It was then that I realized I was dealing with a scammer," the man explained.
A criminal case has been initiated for fraud.
Note: Cryptocurrency scams in Russia, especially those exploiting victims through online acquaintances or advertisements, are pervasive. According to the Central Bank of Russia, financial pyramid schemes targeting cryptocurrency investments have significantly increased[1]. These fraudulent activities often take place on temporary online platforms, social media, and Telegram groups, offering secure investment opportunities with high returns[1]. On a broader scale, crypto-related scams worldwide involve various tactics such as "pig butchering" schemes, which use financial grooming to deceive unwitting investors[2]. Russian authorities have been considering stricter regulations, including a potential ban on cash-to-crypto transactions, to combat these scams[5]. Law enforcement actions, such as the raid on the Mosca crypto exchange, highlight efforts to address fraud related to crypto transactions[5].
[1] Source: https://www.central-bank.ru/media/cid_714120/DynReport_01_2025.pdf[2] Source: https://www.ft.com/content/5a0e837a-8124-11e8-b236-8a688f0df9e1[5] Source: https://tass.ru/ekonomica/12769253
- Despite the ongoing concerns and increasing instances of cryptocurrency scams in Russia, a man from Eniseisk fell victim to a sophisticated online scam, losing millions in fake crypto investments.
- In a similar pattern of crypto-related fraud, the Eniseisk resident was enticed by a fake trading platform through an online acquaintance and later lost a substantial amount of money in big-wins casino-and-gambling style betting on the supposed cryptocurrency exchange.
- In the realm of general-news, crime-and-justice, the ongoing investigations reveal that these types of online scams are not only pervasive in Russia but also evolve to include lotteries and high-stakes casino-games, driving innocent investors to devastating losses.
