Stephen Carr – a resident of Meaford, Ontario – said he lost his entire life savings of nearly $500,000 after being conned into a cryptocurrency scheme on YouTube.
Scammers have used the video-sharing website multiple times to lure victims. Some have even uploaded fake recordings of famous people, including Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, and Kanye West, who appear to promote dubious cryptocurrency investments.
‘I’m Devastated’
In a recent interview, Carr said he got involved in the crypto scam through a video he watched on YouTube. The wrongdoers promised viewers they could make significant profits if they invested in their project.
Initially, the Canadian found nothing suspicious and contacted the people. He started with a $250 investment and contributed another $2,500 shortly after.
After a while, Carr requested a $1,000 withdrawal, and the entity honored it immediately. This gave him more confidence that everything was legitimate, and between October 2022 to January 2023, he invested almost $500,000 (his entire life savings).
The Canadian had his first doubts when he saw his funds growing to $1.3 million and asked to cash out part of it. However, the bad actors insisted he pays a $150,000 liquidation fee to complete the withdrawal.
“I got conned, and in hindsight, I put a ridiculous amount of money in this and a ridiculous amount of trust in these people,” Carr regretted.
The devastated individual admitted the fraud had…
