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From messaging applications For social media platforms Like Instagram and Twitter, it is too easy to interact every day with new people. But these links come with the risks, and Stranger Danger does not disappear simply because you do not meet people in person. Sometimes, even innocent interactions can be dangerous: you can quickly brush a hello from someone you don't know like a bad number error, but it could be the start of an expensive scam. Read the rest to find out why get a "HI" text from a foreigner is linked to a scam that costs millions of people victims.

Read this then: The FBI issues a new warning on the latest scams designed to "steal your money".

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has published a Message of public interest On March 14, warning the Americans of a peak in cryptocurrency investment scams.

"The programs are socially designed and compatible with confidence, generally starting with a romantic or confidence scam and evolving in cryptocurrency investment fraud," said the agency. "Criminals use fictitious identities to develop relationships and establish relations with the victims."

Zacharia Baldwin , a special supervision agent for the FBI financial crime team in Miami, recently told NBC6 that A specific scam In this sector, develops faster than any other than he has seen in the past 15 years. It is known as "Sha Zhu Pan", which is a Chinese sentence which roughly translates into "pork butcher".

This scam, originally from Southeast Asia, combines investment fraud with romantic relations fraud to steal millions of victims, according to Baldwin. "Their goal is to take everything," he told NBC6.

THE Bouchery scam Generally begins with a "hi" text from a foreigner, CNBC reported. It may seem like something that is easy to ignore, but experts told CNBC that people underestimate how the artists of manipulative and persuasive crookers who engage in these diets can be.

"Ten scams pass, and they are very clearly a scam," Matt Friedman , CEO of non -profit organization Mekong Club, told CNBC. "But the 11th, I can even fall in love."

As Baldwin also explained to NBC6, even responding to a "bad number" to the text of the foreigner can make you take in the scam. Once you have done so, the crook will try to continue the conversation, generally going for sympathy or trying a friendly or romantic connection.

"The things they are talking about is heartbreaking. About the future for them, doing things for their family," said Baldwin. "They mainly attack the dreams of these people."

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The crook can take weeks or months to establish a relationship with his victim. But once they have established what seems to be a sincere connection, they will start the next step in this program, where they offer "to teach" cryptocurrencies or foreign currencies of the victim, CNBC reported.

As Friedman explained it to the media, these crooks are part of networks which exploit false trading platforms which seem "exactly their appearance", but are designed to show non -existing profits from 15 to 20% of their trades.

These false profits related to romantic promises can ensure that the investment in cryptocurrency seems to be worth it to the victims.

"[The crooks] will start talking about their lives together, especially with romance." Listen, we did so much money, I can't wait to live with you. Our life is going to be ready ", said Baldwin at NBC 6.

But once a victim is trying to withdraw the money they have made from their investments, their accounts are closed and the exchange platforms require payment, CNBC reported. The crook will encourage them to wire the little money he has left in order to release their cryptocurrency funds - then they will block the victim. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

This regime can have significant financial consequences for those trapped there. According to the FBI, the victims of pig's butcher's scams lose between a few thousand dollars to millions, the average loss per person being about $ 50,000, reported NBC6.

In 2022 alone, the victims of the United States were frauded by more than $ 2 billion in these regimes.

The digital nature of this COT makes it difficult for civil servants to recover money from the victims. The Ministry of Justice has been able to seize $ 112 million in its only public action against pork butcher's scams, CNBC reported.

"We all know that investment scams are not new, but the use of digital currency to commit fraud presents new challenges to victims and the police who are trying to recover lost funds ", American lawyer Martin Estrada said in a press release.

Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. , the assistant prosecutor of the Criminal Division of the DoJ, added that officials are trying to raise public awareness and help enlighten the potential victims of what to monitor.

"Beware of the people you meet online; seriously question investment advice, especially on cryptocurrency, people you have not met in person; and remember, investments that seem too beautiful to be true, are generally, "he said.