SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) — A Summerville man said he is now out $20,000 after he thought he was investing money into cryptocurrency.
Experts said this is a new avenue for scammers They said money lost from crypto scams tripled from 2020 to 2021.
The scam began like so many others after George Harrell was approached online by someone who pretended to be his friend.
They were able to get his trust, and eventually his money. “I was actually, believe it or not, considering putting more money in,” said Harrell.
Harrell said it all started from a Facebook group. He received a message from someone who was interested in stock market trading. They began talking and even formed a friendship over a year and a half.
“Our conversations had went from crypto to just polite conversation,” he said.
Harrell then trusted his new friend when she told him to invest his money with a company out of Australia.
“So I put like $2,500 bucks in,” he said. “Woke up the next morning, and I had made $50 on my investment — and I was like that’s pretty cool.”
Then Harrell was convinced to invest more.
“Ultimately I sent them $20,000 worth of bitcoin,” he said.
Bailey Parker with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs said being pressured to invest more can be a red flag, especially when dealing with cryptocurrency.
“Investment scams, in particular, will prey on people who they have established relationships with,”…
