Fallen twice – Mühlviertler cheated € 250,000 with cryptocurrency

“Experience is the best teacher”, or “One learns from damage” – clichés that unfortunately do not apply to a 35-year-old self-employed person from the Perg district. Because the young man fell for the same scam twice. In the summer, while surfing the Internet, an advertisement appeared on the screen before his eyes. It was promised wholeheartedly that with a small investment a large profit when trading (trading) with cryptocurrencies is possible. 250 euros was requested.

The man from the Mühlviertel fell for it, opened a virtual account and initially transferred 500 euros. At first everything went smoothly, there were constant smart profits. Between June and August, the risk-taking entrepreneur poured in 50,000 euros. But then suddenly everything was gone.

Expensive tuition fees
An expensive lesson, you might think. But far from that. As early as September, the 35-year-old was again tempted by an online advertisement to invest in Bitcoin. He first transferred 150,000 euros and later another 50,000 euros to England and Sweden. “He probably hoped to make up for the damage of the summer,” shakes Gerald Sakoparnig, head of the fraud department of the LKA Upper Austria. But of course nothing came of that.

Now the doubly skinned ‘investor’ has filed a complaint. Because the 200,000 euros has also disappeared. In Upper Austria alone, there are one or two such advertisements per week.