ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Cryptocurrency scams have more than doubled in the last year, according to the Better Business Bureau, and an Anchorage woman is coming forward to warn other consumers about them.
“I’ve lost everything,” said Sandy, whose name has been changed in this story due to her privacy concerns.
Cryptocurrency, which includes bitcoin, is a digital payment system that’s not backed up by traditional banks. Sandy said she recently lost thousands of dollars after falling for a cybercurrency scam. Sandy’s ordeal began when a former coworker posted a message on Facebook. He claimed to have made around $30,000 in a matter of hours by mining for cyber-coins. After her experience, and from talking with various agencies to report the scam, Sandy now realizes how scammers use social media as a tool.
“Sometimes the scammer will have somebody do a video and try to get, recruit more people,” she said.
At the time, Sandy was curious, and developed some trust in cybercurrency. She decided it wouldn’t hurt to invest a small amount of money. That’s when her Facebook friend referred her to an adviser, who contacted her through an encrypted messaging app. The adviser told Sandy to invest her money in an online company called Best Currency Mining. She did some homework on the company, but she never actually spoke with anyone on the phone.
“There were mixed reviews, but nothing that said that it was outright a scam,” Sandy said.
The company listed as…
