(WXYZ) — The Better Business Bureau is reminding Michiganders to be wary of people who befriend you, or romance you online, and then want money or push crypto-currency.
Watch Alicia's report in the video player below
This comes as the Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it seized about $15 billion in crypto-currency from what the DOJ is calling the biggest 'Pig Butchering Scheme' the department has ever investigated.
A Chinese businessman is now facing money laundering and wire fraud charges. He allegedly ran the operation from labor camps in Cambodia. Investigators say workers were forced to pose as investors or romantic partners to gain victims' trust before stealing their money.
I talked with a representative from the Better Business Bureau, who said she was sad to hear about this case, but not surprised.
“The number one riskiest scam type in our scam tracker study for all of 2024, we do it once a year, it was crypto-currency scams. And the number three scam type was romance scams," said Nakia Mills.
So when it comes to crypto-currency and romance scams, what is the rule of thumb people should remember?
“One of the most important things to remember, don't give money to someone you've never met. These people really try to make you think that you know them. You don't," Mills said. "They always come up with a reason why they can't have that live conversation.”
Nakia Mills said the BBB found that crypto-currency scams that were reported last year had a median dollar loss of about $5,000, while the romance scams that were reported had a median loss of about $6,100.
