SHERIFF CARMINE MARCENO’S JANUARY 2026 FRAUD ALERT: TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE BITCOIN SCAM

The FBI reports cryptocurrency investment fraud is one of the most prevalent and damaging fraud schemes today.

Scammers, through means of manipulation, convince us to deposit more and more money into financial “investments” using cryptocurrency. In truth, these investments are fake; all victim money is under the control of—and ultimately stolen by—criminal actors, usually overseas.  

Don’t let this happen to you.

Crypto-scammers lure and contact victims through social media (direct messages, fake job ads, or investment opportunities), through texting (misdialed numbers, random photos, or fake job ads), and on dating sites, using fake profiles.

If you’ve met someone through one of these methods and they attempt to rope you into a crypto investment opportunity – BEWARE: this is likely cryptocurrency investment fraud.

The scammer will work hard to establish trust by using flattery, empathy, sharing hardships, selfies and strong romantic interest. They will offer to video chat or meet in person but will never be able to make that happen. Scammers often ask to move a conversation to another platform like “WhatsApp” or “Telegram.”

Once trust is established, criminals introduce the topic of investing.  

The scammer will instruct the victim how to invest money – to open a cryptocurrency account at a reputable exchange and to transfer money from a bank account to the new cryptocurrency account.

Once the victim starts to “invest,” returns shown on the investment platform will appear extremely lucrative, encouraging the victim to invest more money.

At this point, there is usually nothing that can be done, no way of reversing the transaction and the victim will have no way to recoup their “investment.”

In the end, the victim loses all the money they deposited into the scheme.  

If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of a cryptocurrency investment scam, immediately submit a report to ic3.gov or contact your local FBI field office and provide as much transaction information as possible.

Protect yourself and others.

Talk with loved ones, especially our older family members and friends, about this important topic.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office offers more than a dozen free crime prevention programs, discussing best practices for safety and security. To schedule one for your community, business, organization or house of worship, please call (239) 477-1CRU (1278) or email us at CRU@sheriffleefl.org.