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Crypto World

Hong Kong Retiree Loses HK$6.6 million to Cryptocurrency Scam in Three Back-to-Back Frauds

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR:

  • A 66-year-old Hong Kong retiree lost HK$6.6 million to three separate cryptocurrency scams in six months.
  • Each scammer posed as a virtual currency expert on WhatsApp and vanished after receiving the transferred funds.
  • Hong Kong police warn that anyone offering to recover scam losses is likely running a follow-up fraud.
  • Police advise the public never to transfer cryptocurrency or money to unverified strangers’ accounts online.

A cryptocurrency scam has wiped out the life savings of a 66-year-old Hong Kong retiree in just six months. The victim fell for three separate fraud schemes between September 2025 and January 2026.

Each scammer posed as a virtual currency investment expert on WhatsApp. Hong Kong police disclosed the case via their “Net Keeper” cybercrime awareness platform. The total financial loss reached HK$6.6 million across the three incidents.

Retiree Falls for the Same Cryptocurrency Scam Three Times

The ordeal began when the victim received an unsolicited WhatsApp message in September 2025. A stranger, claiming expertise in virtual currency investment, initiated contact without prior introduction.

Trusting the individual, the retiree transferred HK$1.4 million in cryptocurrency to a designated account. Once the funds cleared, the so-called expert went silent and disappeared entirely.

Still hoping to recover the money, the victim searched online for another investment expert. A second contact then offered to help retrieve what was lost from the first incident.

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The retiree transferred HK$600,000 as a deposit, believing the recovery was possible. That contact also disappeared immediately after receiving the payment.

In January 2026, a third scammer reached out through WhatsApp with a more convincing offer. This individual promised to recover losses from both previous incidents in one transaction.

The condition involved purchasing HK$4.6 million in cryptocurrency and depositing it into a specified account. After the transfer was completed, the third scammer vanished just as quickly as the others.

Each incident followed a near-identical structure, making the pattern recognizable in hindsight. The victim reported the fraud to police after each separate deception.

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However, the desperation to recover funds made the retiree vulnerable to each new approach. Combined losses across all three incidents totaled HK$6.6 million, a lifetime of savings.

Hong Kong Police Warn Public Against Recovery Scams

Following the case, Hong Kong’s Cybercrime Bureau issued clear public warnings through the “Net Keeper” platform. Officers stated that no legitimate party can guarantee to recover money lost in a scam.

Anyone who approaches a fraud victim offering such services should be treated with immediate suspicion. This type of follow-up targeting is a recognized serial scam tactic.

Police also warned against trusting claims of “guaranteed returns” or access to “inside information.” These are common phrases used by scammers to establish false credibility with potential victims.

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Transferring cryptocurrency or money to an unverified stranger’s account carries serious financial risk. Authorities advised the public never to do so, regardless of the reason given.

The case also shows how recovery fraud specifically targets people who have already been deceived. Scammers often identify prior victims and approach them with tailored recovery pitches.

The emotional distress of financial loss can cloud judgment and make people more susceptible. Acting on such offers without verification compounds the original damage further.

Anyone who suspects fraud is urged to contact police without delay. Reporting early can help authorities track criminal networks before more victims are targeted.

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The public is reminded to verify the credentials of anyone offering financial or investment advice online. Caution, not urgency, should guide every cryptocurrency-related transaction.

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Crypto World

Best Crypto to Buy Now: Strategy Just Spent $1.57 Billion on Bitcoin During Fear While Early Investors Quietly Enter Pepeto for 150x Potential

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Best Crypto to Buy Now: Strategy Just Spent $1.57 Billion on Bitcoin During Fear While Early Investors Quietly Enter Pepeto for 150x Potential

Strategy just filed an SEC disclosure confirming it purchased 22,337 BTC at $70,194 per coin between March 9 and 15 according to Bitcoin Magazine.

That is $1.57 billion deployed in one week while the market panicked about Iran, oil at $98, and the Fed holding rates. Total holdings sit at 761,068 BTC worth over $57 billion. When the largest corporate Bitcoin buyer adds over a billion in a week of fear, that is conviction. But Strategy could not enter a presale. Retail investors can.

The best crypto to buy now is not the asset that needs to double from $70,500. It is the early stage entry where presale to listing math creates returns large caps cannot produce.

Strategy’s latest SEC filing confirms it purchased 22,337 BTC funded through STRC preferred share sales, bringing total holdings to 761,068 BTC at a cost basis of $57.61 billion according to Bitcoin Magazine.

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Goldman Sachs projected two more rate cuts in 2026 that would bring rates to 3.0% to 3.25%, improving conditions for risk assets including crypto according to Intellectia.

Institutional capital flows in while retail sits frozen. The best crypto to buy now is the entry that captures the gap between fear pricing and the listing that closes the presale window permanently.

Best Crypto to Watch in 2026: Pepeto, Solana, and Cardano Compared

Pepeto: The Best Crypto to Buy Now Before the Listing Changes Everything

Strategy could not enter a presale. Most retail investors do not realize they can, and that is the gap Pepeto closes. While institutions added Bitcoin at $70,000, the exchange being constructed behind Pepeto is what convinced over $8 million in capital to enter during this correction.

What makes Pepeto different is the innovation investors see taking shape. A fee free trading platform designed to keep your capital intact on every trade. A chain to chain bridge built to move tokens across networks without losing a single unit. Investors recognize what this infrastructure means once the exchange listing with Binance brings it to the full market.

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Now in its final presale stages at $0.000000186, past the $8 million mark in funding, the infrastructure behind Pepeto has driven predictions that outperform every large cap forecast for 2026. The founder who took Pepe to $11 billion on 420 trillion tokens and zero products is now constructing the exchange Pepe never had. SolidProof verified every contract before the presale opened, and a Binance insider is steering the platform toward listing. Staking at 195% APY gives early holders growing positions from entry.

Pepeto is the best crypto to buy now because the gap between this presale price and a confirmed listing is where returns are created. The stages fill faster every round, and wallets that do not commit before the listing will spend this cycle wishing they had.

Solana (SOL)

Solana is trading at $89.86, down roughly 65% from its November 2025 all time high near $260 according to CoinMarketCap.

SOL has one of the strongest on chain narratives in 2026 with record breaking metrics from 2025. SOL ETFs continue leading altcoin inflows. A bullish reversal could push SOL toward $200, roughly 2x from current levels.

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For investors looking for the best crypto to buy now, 2x is decent but nowhere near what a presale to listing entry delivers.

Cardano (ADA)

Cardano is trading at $0.265, having dropped from $0.297 in late February according to CoinMarketCap.

ADA has hardly attempted a recovery while other tokens at least tested breakout levels. The lack of any significant catalyst has pushed investors to look for alternatives with real movement. Some traders are comparing it to the xrp price prediction narrative where even recent dips have not stopped breakout talk.

ADA would need to triple just to revisit $0.80, and for investors searching for the best crypto to buy now, Pepeto’s presale math makes that comparison feel irrelevant.

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Conclusion

That combination of meme virality and exchange infrastructure on the Ethereum blockchain is why analysts call Pepeto the best crypto to buy now. The wallets entering every stage are linked to addresses that held major ETH positions through multiple cycles. They built wealth by recognizing infrastructure early and they only commit when they see something the broader market has not caught up to. The Pepeto official website is where those entries are being made right now, the ones set to make the returns every crypto holder dreams about.

Secure the best crypto to buy now before the listing closes this window

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

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How does Strategy’s $1.57 billion Bitcoin purchase affect the best crypto to buy decision?

Strategy bought 22,337 BTC during peak fear, confirming institutional conviction. But retail investors have access to presale entries like Pepeto where the math from entry to listing creates returns BTC at $70,500 cannot deliver.

What is the best crypto to buy now for maximum returns in 2026?

Pepeto at presale pricing targets 150x to the level Pepe reached with zero products. SOL at $89.86 targets 2x. ADA at $0.265 has stalled. The presale to listing math makes the decision clear.

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Why is Pepeto called the best crypto to buy now?

Same Pepe cofounder, 420 trillion supply, SolidProof audit, over $8 million raised, and a confirmed Binance listing ahead. Visit the Pepeto official website before the presale closes.


Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

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Brazil’s New Finance Minister Puts Crypto Tax Policy on Pause: Report

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Taxes, Brazil

Brazil’s Finance Minister, Dario Durigan, is putting crypto tax policy on the back burner until after the country’s presidential elections in October 2026 to avoid pushing for “divisive” tax changes during an election year. 

Regulators and government officials originally slated a public consultation on crypto tax policy for later this year, which may be delayed until 2027, but still “remains on the radar,” sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Brazil ended its no tax policy on gains from smaller cryptocurrency sales or transfers in June 2025, shifting to a 17.5% flat tax on crypto capital gains, including those made from offshore and self-custodial holdings.

Under the previous rules, residents who sold up to 35,000 Brazilian real, equivalent to about $6,587, per month were exempt from capital gains taxes on any profits, and investors who surpassed this threshold were subject to progressive tax rates between 15% and 22.5%.

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In November 2025, Banco Central do Brasil, the country’s central bank, published rules that treat stablecoin transfers as foreign currency exchange, subject to the same tax laws.

The Brazilian government is also eyeing proposals to tax cryptocurrencies used for international payments and is aligning its reporting rules to be consistent with regulations under the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), an international monitoring standard for crypto transactions.

The decision to place the crypto tax consultation on hiatus comes during a time when the South American country is rapidly adopting crypto, and the industry is growing in Brazil.

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Related: Brazil’s Pix instant payment system expands to Argentina

Brazil is one of the top countries in the world for crypto adoption

Brazil ranks number five on Chainalysis’s crypto Global Adoption Index and ranks number one in terms of adoption in the Latin America region.

Taxes, Brazil
Brazil ranks number five globally in terms of crypto adoption. Source: Chainalysis

The country has a population of over 213 million people, with a median age of 33.5 years, and over 91% of the population lives in urban areas, according to data from Worldometer.

In 2025, “Latin America’s crypto adoption grew by 63%, reflecting rising adoption across both retail and institutional segments,” according to Chainalysis.

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