Scam Type

Romance-Driven Investment Scam

Red Flag

  • Platform showing inflated profits followed by sudden tax demands.
  • Complete loss of access to funds after refusal to pay more.

Details

The victim joined a trading blog on social media, where he met two individuals—“Mr. Charlie” and “Tina”—claiming to represent Fitbela Epro Limited, a UK-based Forex trading firm. They persuaded him to open a Forex trading account on the Meta 5 Trading platform and promised high returns. The victim initially invested $10,000 and was told the account had grown significantly, prompting him to invest even more. Following their direction, he eventually sent a total of $92,000 via wire transfer. Later, they claimed his account was now worth $200,000. When the victim attempted to withdraw his funds, he was told he needed to pay $87,000 in taxes before any money could be released. At that point, he recognized it as a scam.

Scammer Behaviour

The scammer used a dating app to build trust, then created the illusion of success with simulated trades. Once the victim believed he could earn real profits, she transitioned him to a fake trading site. After a large deposit, the platform showed inflated profits to keep him engaged. When he attempted to withdraw, they blocked access by demanding additional payments under the guise of taxes.

Potential Lost Funds

$120,000+

Final Outcome

The victim was unable to recover any funds. All deposits were lost after the platform blocked withdrawals with fake tax requirements.