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Virginia woman scammed out of $1.3M in crypto fraud
A Virginia woman lost more than $1 million in a crypto scam known as "pig butchering."
HERNDON, Va. - A Virginia woman lost more than $1 million in a crypto scam known as "pig butchering."
What is ‘pig butchering’?
It’s a financial scam mixed with a romance scam. The fraudster starts by developing a relationship with you, then proposes an investment opportunity – usually in the form of cryptocurrency – that seems too good to pass up.
By the numbers:
61-year-old Sukanya Jude tells FOX 5 she deposited $1.3 million into a crypto account. She says her first deposit was about $2,000 last summer, after meeting a man through a messaging app. She said it started as friendship, but he became very persistent.
Over the course of three months, she deposited over a million dollars into the account. When she tried to withdraw her money in September, she realized she had been scammed.
Jude says she was able to see her deposits through a legitimate crypto app — but the link she used to send funds wasn’t real.
She did reach out to Fairfax County police, who are working with the Secret Service to track down the people behind this scam. Until then, she’s left to pick up the pieces and rebuild from the ground up.
Crypto scam red flags
What we know:
Looking back, Jude says there were red flags she missed — including never speaking to this person on the phone. She says he also asked her not to share her investments with her loved ones.
"You’re already isolated," said Jude. "That’s what they are preying on. No one could believe that I would get sucked into this."
Cyber expert Dr. Alex V. Mbaziira, associate professor for cyber and AI at Marymount University, says unfortunately this is a very common scam, and people — especially those who may be vulnerable — need to be aware.
"If you’re getting all kinds of text messages trying to advertise investment opportunities, that is a red flag. If the gains are unrealistic, stay away. That’s a no-no," said Mbaziira.
Mbaziira says if you are scammed, immediately call your local police or even the FBI.
If you'd like to donate to Jude's GoFundMe, click here.