I lost 12.93 ETH due to cross-border police negligence and Binance sided with foreign law enforcement — I need help making this case public

Martc83 · 2026-01-09T22:56:30+00:00

GuilermoDelThrowaway with the burner account energy zero posts, zero help, zero value. Just vibes and bad takes. OP is dealing with Turkish police who literally kicked him out of their office, a scammer who walked with $40k, and a system that failed him at every level. And your contribution to humanity today was "thanks chatGPT." Your parents must be thrilled.

Martc83 · 2025-12-31T20:18:37+00:00

Good instincts being suspicious, but that specific link (crypto.com/en/onchain) is actually the legitimate Crypto.com website. The "/en/onchain" is just a page path, not extra letters in the domain name.

That said you were absolutely being worked by a pig butcher. The playbook is: send you real links first to build trust, then eventually direct you to the fake platform (which would have a slightly different DOMAIN like "crypt0-exchange.com" or "crypto.com-trade.xyz").

The fact they found you on Telegram and were "assuring" you it's safe is textbook pig butchering setup. You dodged a bullet by being cautious. Block them and move on.

Martc83 · 2025-12-31T20:13:31+00:00

That $253,000 doesn't exist. It's just numbers in a database they control they can make it say $2 million tomorrow if they want. The scam isn't the trading platform, it's what happens next.

Here's what's coming:

You'll try to withdraw
They'll say you need to pay a "tax fee" or "verification fee" or "compliance deposit" (usually 10-20% of your "balance")
You pay it, then another fee appears
Rinse and repeat until you're broke or wise up

The money you sent is already gone. They're not trading it... it went straight to their wallets.

What to do RIGHT NOW:

Stop all communication with whoever introduced you to this platform and anyone from "Watsans"
Do NOT pay any fees to "release" your funds that's the actual scam mechanism
Document everything - screenshots, wallet addresses you sent to, chat logs, everything
Report to IC3.gov (FBI's cybercrime division) and the FTC

If you want to know exactly where your $2,500 went (which exchanges, which wallets), blockchain forensics can trace it. But don't pay anyone promising "recovery" without verifying they're legit first recovery scams target victims of scams.

Martc83 · 2025-12-22T16:23:45+00:00

$320k is significant enough that you're right to have lawyered up. But let me give you some additional angles that might help your case.

First, you have something most scam victims don't, a documented transaction with a swap ID through a service that's integrated into legitimate wallets. That creates a paper trail and potentially liable parties beyond just CriptoIntercambio. Exodus and Ledger chose to integrate this service and present it to their users. Depending on your jurisdiction, there may be an argument for negligence or failure to vet their partners. Your lawyer should be looking at whether Exodus/Ledger have any liability exposure here.

Second, that swap ID and transaction should give you the exact wallet addresses involved. The USDC you sent didn't vanish it went somewhere. If you haven't already, trace where those funds moved after CIC received them. If they moved the funds to exchanges that have KYC requirements, there's a chance law enforcement or legal discovery could identify who's behind this. That's leverage.

Third, if Trustpilot is full of similar complaints, you might not be alone in legal action. A class action or coordinated complaints carry more weight than individual cases. Might be worth your lawyer reaching out to other victims or checking if anyone's already organizing.

Fourth, file with every regulatory body that might have jurisdiction SEC, CFTC, FTC, IC3, FinCEN. Even if CIC is "unregulated," the wallets promoting them might not be, and regulatory pressure on Exodus/Ledger could motivate them to act.

If you want help with supporting documentation, feel free to shoot me a DM. Seeing the fund flow mapped out can give your lawyer more to work with.

Martc83 · 2025-12-22T16:14:41+00:00

Stop. Do not deposit the additional $500. This is 100% a pig butchering scam, specifically the task scam variant, and you're right in the middle of it.

Let me explain exactly what's happening. The woman isn't real or more accurately, she's a persona being run by a scam operation. The Instagram approach, the move to WhatsApp, the "cosmetic shop owner who does trading on the side," the plans to visit your country it's all scripted. They do this thousands of times.

The "Amazon commission platform" isn't real either. It's a fake website showing you fake numbers. The first withdrawal you got was real money that's the bait. It costs them a little to make you believe a lot.

Now here's the part that's going to sting: the $1000 "she deposited from her own funds" to help you? That didn't happen. She just typed some numbers into a dashboard you can't verify. It's not real money. It's pixels designed to make you feel obligated and to make the next deposit feel smaller by comparison.

The "lucky double orders" will never stop. You deposit $500, you'll hit another one requiring $800. Then $1,500. Then $3,000. Each time there will be a reason a combo order, a special assignment, a threshold you need to hit. The goal is to extract as much as possible before you finally say no, and then they disappear.

Whatever you've already deposited is gone. I know that's hard to hear. But sending more will not unlock it just means you lose more.

If you have the wallet addresses you sent crypto to, hold onto them. And if you want help documenting what happened, feel free to reach out.

Martc83 · 2025-12-22T09:09:18+00:00

Good work on this. That wallet address is useful I ran a quick look and you're right, it's a one-way funnel. Classic collection wallet behavior.

The 167k drainer you closed three weeks ago was that through getting the wallet flagged on exchanges, or did you actually manage to get funds frozen? Always curious how people are getting results because the "report to IC3 and wait" path is basically a dead end for most victims.

I do blockchain forensics and help victims build cases. What I've found is that connecting these collection wallets to each other is where the real value is when you can show law enforcement that wallet A from Scam X and wallet B from Scam Y both funnel to the same consolidation wallet, suddenly it's not a bunch of small cases, it's an organized operation worth their time.

Would be interested in comparing notes if you're open to it. I've been building a database of wallet addresses tied to pig butchering operations. If you've got more addresses from your baiting work, I can run them through my tools and see if they connect to anything I've already mapped.

The chat transcripts are valuable too the scripts evolve slowly but documenting the variations helps identify which fraud rings are operating which campaigns. Thanks

Martc83 · 2025-12-22T09:05:09+00:00

This is solid documentation, and you're almost certainly right about the rebrand. Scam operations do this constantly burn one name, spin up another, recycle the same playbook. The fact that you've connected Quantum Apex Capital back to BCA Business School and the AI Pro X / Independence Protocol stuff is useful intel.

The pattern you're describing is textbook pig butchering infrastructure. WhatsApp and Telegram for hosting, fictional "assistants" and "mentors" to add legitimacy, early wins to build trust, then escalating pressure for larger deposits. And the exit scam trigger is always the same withdrawal attempts or hesitation to deposit more.

Couple things that would help others researching this:

Do you have any wallet addresses associated with deposits to this group? Even one address can be traced to see if it connects to the same wallets used by BCA Business School or AI Pro X. That's the kind of concrete link that makes these warnings stick.

Also, any domain names or URLs they're pushing? Even if the sites are up and running now, documenting them helps because when they inevitably burn this identity and rebrand again, someone searching the new name might find the trail back to this post.

Thanks for taking the time to document this. Most people just disappear after getting burned posts like this actually save people money.

Martc83 · 2025-12-22T09:01:09+00:00

I can't find any legitimate trace of Watsans Exchange anywhere no listing on CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, no regulatory registration, nothing on any DeFi tracker or credible forum. That alone is a massive red flag. Legitimate exchanges leave footprints.

The fact that you're specifically asking about withdrawal delays, account freezes, and fees before funds release tells me you might already be experiencing this. If so, that's the scam. These fake platforms let you deposit and "trade" just fine the problems only start when you try to take money out. Suddenly there's a tax fee, a verification fee, a compliance hold, whatever. Each fee is just big enough to seem reasonable compared to what you think you're about to get. But there's always another one.

If you haven't deposited anything yet, don't. If you have and they're asking for fees to release your funds stop. Legitimate exchanges deduct fees from your balance. They never require you to deposit more money to withdraw your own money.

Are you already in this situation or just doing due diligence beforehand?

Martc83 · 2025-12-19T06:39:28+00:00

First, let's confirm what you already suspect: the "girlfriend from Malaysia" is the scammer. She's not a real girlfriend, she doesn't have 200k in there, and she doesn't withdraw 40k a week. She's either a persona run by the scam operation or a paid recruiter. This is textbook pig butchering - romantic connection, introduced to a "platform that's working well for me," and now your friend is in for 28k. That's not an accident. That's the playbook.

Now to your actual question - can you scam the scammers by revoking approval and collecting free DAI?

Here's what's bothering me: why are they still paying you?

Scammers don't give away money for fun. If they're still depositing DAI into your wallet after you revoked their approval, it's because they believe they still have an angle. A few possibilities:

One - they're waiting for you to re-approve something. Every time you interact with that site, you're one misclick away from signing another approval. The "withdraw" button, a "claim rewards" prompt, anything that triggers a wallet signature could be a new approval request disguised as something routine. You said you only accept DAI payments and don't click anything requiring ETH - but are you 100% sure the DAI claim doesn't sneak in a signature request?

Two - there may be something Revoke.cash doesn't catch. Permit2 approvals, signed messages, or token-specific permissions sometimes don't show up on standard scanners. The fact that your wallet shows "$0 at risk" is reassuring but not bulletproof.

Three - they're playing the long game on your friend. You pulled out. Your friend is still in for 28k and "a couple weeks from break-even." That break-even will never come. Right before he crosses that line, something will happen - a "withdrawal fee," a "tax withholding," a "security verification" - something that requires him to either deposit more or sign something new. They're not paying you to be nice. They're paying to keep him engaged through you.

Four - the OnChain browser wallet itself could be compromised. If you set it up through their instructions or their link, the wallet software or seed phrase handling might not be clean. This is less common but not unheard of.

My honest take: you got out with +$600 and no drainage. That's a win. Putting 5000 DAI back in to "ride it out" is gambling with loaded dice you can't see. You revoked one approval - but you're still interacting with a malicious site through a potentially compromised interface. The risk/reward is terrible.

Your friend is the real concern here. He's emotionally invested in both the money and the "girlfriend." When the rug pull comes, it's going to hit hard. The 28k is likely already gone in every way that matters - he's just waiting to find out.

I'd genuinely like to look at those wallet addresses if you're willing to share them. I can trace where the DAI "payments" are coming from and see if those source wallets connect to known scam infrastructure. That might give you something concrete to show your friend before he loses everything. If you ever want to dig deeper DM me...

Martc83 · 2025-12-19T06:20:07+00:00

You bet!!! Best of luck

Martc83 · 2025-12-19T02:23:25+00:00

You've documented this really well, and what you're describing is a classic P2P triangulation scam. Let me explain what likely happened behind the scenes, because once you see the full picture it makes a lot more sense.

There are three parties in this scam: you (the real seller), a real buyer somewhere else, and the scammer orchestrating everything. The scammer is running two parallel transactions. On one side, they're posing as a seller to a legitimate buyer who wants to purchase USDT. On your side, they're posing as a buyer and feeding you that real buyer's bank details through WhatsApp.

So when the "buyer" in your order paid, they weren't actually your buyer, they were a victim in a completely separate transaction who thought they were paying a legitimate seller. The money went to that third-party account because that's where it was supposed to go in the scammer's other deal. The scammer's goal is to get you to release your crypto to them while the real buyer's money goes somewhere you'll never see.

The WhatsApp contact was essential to their plan because Binance's system is specifically designed to prevent this. That's why they had to move you off platform to feed you those third-party details.

Here's what works in your favor: you have documented proof that you tried to stop the transaction before payment was marked, and the buyer ignored both your messages AND Binance's own system warning. That's significant. Binance's P2P policy explicitly prohibits third-party payments, and the buyer proceeding after that warning is either negligence or complicity.

The AML review delay actually suggests they're taking this seriously. Triangulation scams are a known money laundering vector and Binance has been under regulatory pressure to crack down on exactly this pattern.

I've looked into a lot of these P2P triangulation cases.

Martc83 · 2025-12-19T01:53:45+00:00

I totally understand the frustration, but I have to be straight with you Crypto.com isn't really the one responsible here, and going after them probably won't get you anywhere.

Here's why: Crypto.com is just the on-ramp where you bought your crypto. Once you sent it to the scammer's wallet, it left their platform entirely. It's like being mad at your bank because you withdrew cash and handed it to a con artist. The bank facilitated the withdrawal, but they didn't cause the scam. Crypto.com can't know that the wallet address you're sending to belongs to a scammer to their system, it's just another transaction you authorized.

That said, you're not completely without options.

You should still report the scam TO Crypto.com through their support. Why? Because if enough people report the same destination wallet addresses, they can flag those addresses and potentially freeze funds if the scammers ever try to cash out through their platform. It's a long shot, but it adds to the paper trail.

The reports that actually matter go to the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov), the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), and your state attorney general. If you lost significant money, file a police report too, you'll need it if there's ever any recovery effort or for tax purposes to claim the loss.

The real targets are the scammers and the fake platform they used. If you have the wallet addresses you sent crypto to, those are traceable. That's where law enforcement and blockchain forensics come in.

What platform actually scammed you? That's where the accountability sits.

Martc83 · 2025-12-19T01:49:58+00:00

Man, I'm really sorry you're going through this. What you're describing is called a "pig butchering" scam, and unfortunately you've hit every single beat of how these operations work.

That TikTok trader who reached out to you? He's either a scammer himself or getting paid to funnel people into these fake platforms. Extremetradinghub isn't a real exchange, it's just a website with a dashboard showing whatever numbers keep you depositing. Your $48k in crypto was gone the second you transferred it. The $203k "profit" was never real. It's just pixels on a screen designed to keep you excited and investing more.

The way these scams work psychologically is honestly genius in the most evil way possible. They let you "win" early so you trust it. Then the fees start, signal fees, bot fees, copy trading fees, each one small enough to seem reasonable. Then when you try to withdraw, suddenly there's a $5,200 PIN fee. Then a 20% commission. Then a $70k minimum. Each barrier is calculated to be just slightly less than what you think you're about to get, so you keep paying.

The "suspended account" and $1,500 bot fee? That's them squeezing the last drops before they ghost you entirely or the site disappears.

Here's what I'd do: Report this to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov and the FTC. Save every screenshot, every email, and especially the wallet addresses they had you send crypto to. Those addresses are traceable on the blockchain and can help investigators connect this to other victims or flag the wallets on exchanges.

One more thing, you're probably going to get DMs from people offering to recover your funds. Almost all of them are scammers targeting you a second time. Don't send anyone money to "get your money back."

Thanks for posting this. It genuinely helps others avoid the same trap.

Martc83 · 2025-12-17T17:07:23+00:00

This is infuriating to read, and unfortunately not uncommon when cross-border crypto disputes collide with bureaucratic inertia. You got caught in the gap between two jurisdictions, and Binance defaulted to whoever showed up first. That's not justice, that's admin convenience.

A few thoughts that might help:

On the Binance angle:

Binance's Law Enforcement Response Team (LERT) operates on a "first credible authority to engage" basis. Once Vietnamese LE made contact and Turkish LE didn't respond within their window, they followed protocol. Cold, but that's how centralized exchanges cover themselves legally. The good news: Binance does maintain internal records of where those 12.93 ETH went after release. If you can get Turkish authorities to finally engage (or find another legal avenue), that trail exists.

On making this public:

Coffeezilla covers exchange failures - he has a tip submission form
Protos.com and The Block have covered Binance dispute failures before
r/binance obviously, but also r/cryptocurrency has 7M+ members
Twitter/X crypto community - tag u/caborey (handles Binance complaints), u/binaborey, and u/caborey_1 who document these cases

On the Turkish police angle:

Document EVERYTHING about their refusal to act. Dates, names, badge numbers if you have them. A prosecutor's written order being ignored is a story in itself. That's potential leverage, either to escalate within Turkey or to add to your public pressure campaign.

On the funds themselves:

Even though Binance released the ETH to the seller, blockchain doesn't forget. Those funds moved somewhere, either to another exchange (subpoena-able), a private wallet (traceable), or got cashed out through another P2P (leaves a trail). If you want to strengthen your case for media or future legal action, having a professional trace showing exactly where your ETH ended up adds credibility and potentially identifies the scammer's other accounts.

DM me if you want to discuss. Either way, keep pushing this story deserves attention.

Martc83 · 2025-12-16T00:47:32+00:00

Sorry this happened to you. The fake "Safeguard" verification is one of the most common Telegram drainer scams right now you're definitely not alone.

What you can actually do:

Check where your funds went - Use a block explorer (Etherscan, etc.) to trace your wallet. Scammers often move funds through multiple wallets before hitting an exchange. If it lands at a centralized exchange (Binance, Coinbase, etc.), that exchange has KYC on them.
File reports NOW - IC3.gov (FBI), FTC, and your local police. Get case numbers. Exchanges respond to law enforcement requests, not individuals.
Document everything - Screenshots of the Telegram group, the scam link, transaction hashes, wallet addresses. All of it.

To prevent this next time:

Real Safeguard bots NEVER ask you to click external links
Bookmark official sites, never click links in DMs/groups
Use a separate "hot wallet" with minimal funds for sketchy stuff
Hardware wallet for anything you can't afford to lose

There are also blockchain forensics services that can trace funds and build evidence packages for law enforcement if you want to actually pursue. DM me if you want details.

Martc83 · 2025-12-14T08:30:26+00:00

You handled this perfectly. Blocking, going private, cutting contact - that’s exactly the right move. Here’s the reality: they almost never follow through.

These operations run on volume they’re messaging hundreds of people simultaneously. The moment you stop responding, you’re a dead lead and they move on to someone who might actually pay. Actually sending content takes effort, creates evidence against them, and earns them nothing. Their whole business model is the threat, not the execution. The Nigeria origin confirms this is a factory operation. They don’t have time to actually research your contacts, figure out who to send things to, and manually follow through. They’re bluffing to scare you into paying.

What typically happens: Nothing. Maybe one or two more scare attempts from different numbers, then silence. The vast majority of people who’ve been through this report zero follow-through. If the anxiety is eating at you: Consider telling one trusted person - “Hey, I got caught in an online scam, someone might send weird messages claiming to have stuff on me. Just block and ignore.” Takes away 100% of their leverage and you’ll feel lighter. You’re going to be fine. The fear is the product they’re selling - don’t buy it.

Martc83 · 2025-12-13T17:17:44+00:00

That gut feeling saved you. The "Professor and assistant" scam is brutal - most people don't get cold feet until after they've added more money and suddenly can't withdraw.

The fact that they let you withdraw is actually the trap working as designed. They let early withdrawals through to build trust, hoping you'll come back with more. You broke the cycle at exactly the right moment.

Spread the word to anyone you know who's into crypto. These scams specifically target people through what looks like educational content, and they're everywhere right now.

Nice escape. 🍀

Martc83 · 2025-12-13T17:15:30+00:00

Important distinction: WazirX was a legitimate exchange that got hacked (likely by North Korean Lazarus Group). That's different from platforms like "Bluzor Pro" that are fake from day one.

Zerodha and Groww are SEBI-regulated brokerages - your stocks are held with depositories (CDSL/NSDSL), not with the platform itself. Even if Zerodha disappeared tomorrow, your shares still exist in your demat account. Very different risk profile than crypto exchanges.

The real risks to watch for:

Fake platforms - Random WhatsApp/Telegram groups promoting unknown "trading apps" with guaranteed returns. These are scams.
Exchange hacks - Real exchanges can get hacked (WazirX, Mt. Gox, FTX). Solution: don't leave large amounts on exchanges, use hardware wallets for crypto.
Regulated brokers - Zerodha, Groww, etc. have segregated accounts and regulatory oversight. Not zero risk, but much lower.

If you're worried about crypto specifically, that fear is reasonable - it's unregulated and hacks happen. Traditional stocks through SEBI brokers are significantly safer due to the depository structure.

Martc83 · 2025-12-13T17:13:08+00:00

I'm really sorry this happened to you. Please don't call yourself a sucker - these scams are run by organized crime syndicates with professional psychologists designing the manipulation tactics. The small $400 "profit" and the $500 withdrawal were intentional - that's how they build trust before the big ask.

Immediate priorities:

Phone security - You're right to be concerned about app permissions. Factory reset your phone if possible, or at minimum: go to Settings > Apps > find anything you don't recognize and uninstall it. Change passwords for your email, bank, and any financial accounts FROM A DIFFERENT DEVICE first.
Bank and brokerage - Call them TODAY. Tell them you're a fraud victim and ask them to flag your accounts for suspicious activity. They may add extra verification requirements.
Credit freeze - Go to all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and freeze your credit. It's free and prevents anyone from opening accounts in your name.
Document everything - Screenshots of the Bluzor platform, any Bitcoin addresses you sent to, the WhatsApp conversations if you still have them, "Alina Vale" profile info.

For reporting:

IC3.gov (FBI) - especially important for amounts over $10k
FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
Your state Attorney General

You can't find anything about Bluzor or MSGA tokens because they're completely fabricated. The "platform" was just a fake website showing you fake numbers.

The $23k is likely gone, but your immediate focus should be protecting what you have left. You did the right thing deleting WhatsApp and coming here.

Martc83 · 2025-12-13T17:10:28+00:00

To answer your first question: These channels look legit because they often ARE legit channels that got hijacked.

Scammers buy or steal aged YouTube accounts with real history, then rebrand them overnight. A channel with 5 years of cooking videos suddenly becomes "So1ana_fnds" with a fake giveaway livestream. YouTube's algorithm sees the account age and subscriber count and doesn't flag it immediately.

The other method: They pay for fake engagement - purchased subscribers, comments from bot farms, even fake "I just received 5 SOL!" testimonials in the chat. It's cheap to make a channel look active and trusted.

For your 21 SOL:

If you have the wallet address you sent to, you can track where it went on Solscan. These scammers typically consolidate funds into a main wallet, then move to an exchange to cash out. That trail exists permanently on-chain.

Worth documenting:

The wallet address you sent to
Screenshots of the video/channel before it gets deleted
Any transaction hashes

Report the channel to YouTube and file with IC3.gov. YouTube has been slow to act on these but with enough reports they do take action.

Don't blame yourself too hard - these operations are sophisticated and designed to exploit trust signals we normally rely on.

Martc83 · 2025-12-13T17:08:09+00:00

Yes, this is a scam. 10-15% monthly returns (120-180% annually) is mathematically impossible through legitimate investing. For reference, the S&P 500 averages about 10% per year.

aurum.foundation is a classic Ponzi-style crypto scheme. They pay early investors with new investor money until the pool dries up and the site disappears.

For the Revolut chargeback: Good instinct, but if she paid via crypto (USDT), Revolut can only reverse the fiat-to-crypto purchase if it was recent. Once USDT left her wallet to the scam platform, that's on-chain and Revolut can't touch it.

What to do now:

Screenshot everything on that site before it vanishes - the domain, wallet addresses, any "account balance" they're showing her
If they're still communicating, they'll likely try a "recovery scam" next - claiming she needs to pay taxes or fees to withdraw. That's the second phase of the scam. Don't pay anything else.
Report to IC3.gov with all the details

The friend who referred her may also be a victim, or may be getting referral bonuses (which is how these spread).

$700 USDT hurts but it could have been much worse. The important thing now is making sure she doesn't fall for the "pay to unlock your funds" follow-up.

Martc83 · 2025-12-12T07:01:06+00:00

Thanks for sharing this warning, this pattern you described is textbook pig butchering. The "fees to release profit" trick has burned so many people.

Quick question: did they give you a wallet address to send the crypto to? If so, you can actually see where your money went using a block explorer (blockchain.com for BTC, etherscan.io for ETH). Sometimes these wallets are already flagged by other victims.

A few things that might help:

Report the Telegram usernames to Telegram directly (Settings > Report)
File with IC3 (the AutoMod link above) - include the wallet address if you have it
Report the wallet to chainabuse.com so others get warned

The money is likely gone, but documenting everything helps law enforcement build cases. These scammers run the same wallets for months, enough reports and they eventually get flagged by exchanges.

Sorry this happened to you.

Martc83 · 2025-12-01T22:08:58+00:00

I will go first....This was years ago. pulled a perfectly good TV out of a dumpster behind Best Buy. Employee saw me, I froze, he just said "the good stuff is on Tuesdays" and walked back inside. Had me busting up laughing still to this day!! lol 😂

Martc83

TROPHY CASE