Former TV reporter and her friend ripped off thousands in crypto social media hack

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Crypto scam warning on social media from two victims who fell prey

Many of us use social media direct messages as our primary form of communication. In order to make sure you are talking to a true friend, go the old fashioned way and call them – ASAP.

FOX 2 – Metro Detroit native Nicole Vowell thought she saw a familiar face on social media and when contacted her with a direct message, she responded.

“I’ve known Darius for about 10 years, I know he’s a family man, a man of God, a good man and he owns a business. He posted something on his story that said if you can (choose) a name that starts with an ‘A’, I’ll give you a cash prize, ”Vowell said. “And I’m usually pretty skeptical but I knew Darius so I said anything so I needed a little extra money for my mom, for the holidays, (so I said) what could it hurt? “

But the man she thought was Darius on her Instagram Story was not Darius. Someone hacked into their account and orchestrated a scam. He was told it was a Bitcoin mining strategy.

“I was originally told to put in $ 800, then I would get $ 5,000 back and I thought I had $ 800, that’s cool,” Vowell said.

The former television reporter now lives in Utah. She made stories about scams. It didn’t look like it. After all, he’s Darius, a man she’s known for 10 years.

So she walked up and paid. She knew that Bitcoin mining is a quick way for some people to make money.

But after the $ 800 investment, the stakes rose.

“’Now we need $ 4,600, if you want to get $ 10,000,’ and unfortunately I had that money lying around,” Vowell said. “So I put all my savings into trying to get the $ 10,000 payment.

“Then it was” If you pay $ 7,500 more, we’ll give you $ 40,000. “In my head, I thought I could repay my mom.”

In the meantime, who she thought was Darius told her she could trust him. She borrowed thousands of dollars from her friends and sent them through Bitcoin, ATM, and the Cash app.

The person she thought was her friend went with her. She gave up on the money and then realized Darius wasn’t on the other end of Instagram.

Finally, she made contact with him, using a telephone. She and a friend called to tell him they were on their way to give him the money. He took.

“He told me: ‘My Instagram was hacked over the summer. It wasn’t me. I got messages left and right about people who think I was cheating them.’ “she said. “My heart sank, completely sank.”

The tears turned to anger and frustration. She gave up 13,000, some of the money was borrowed. She expresses herself hoping that others will beware of this scam.

As for Darius Collins – well, he says the exact same thing happened to him on Facebook.

Darius Collins shared his story of falling into an online scam.

What he was thinking was that a friend said he was leading a charity effort, saying he would just have to play a game.

“(The post read)” If you name a girl’s name that starts with an “A” and ends with an “A”, prove me wrong, there may be a cash prize ” “said Darius.

He thought he was talking to his old friend from high school, even sending testimonials about this game and the cash prize. Darius was told his cash application would be credited with $ 9,000, but he had to make a Bitcoin contribution in order to get the ball rolling.

In all, he lost over $ 10,000. They took his money and his ID, he gave a picture of his ID card.

Then Darius’ ID social media accounts were hacked and then used to hit friends like Nicole.

“Just be careful who you talk to on social media,” Collins said. “If they ask for ID, nine out of ten times it’s not your friend.”

“I thought I was talking to my friend on Instagram, who I knew and trusted,” Vowell said. “If I can get cheated, anyone can get cheated.”

Nicole says that as a former TV reporter she made a fuss about scams and never thought she would get caught like this.

Many of us use social media direct messages as our primary form of communication. In order to make sure you are talking to a true friend, go the old fashioned way and call them – ASAP.

There is a GoFundMe set up to help Darius Collins HERE.

Detroit native and former journalist Nicole Vowell shared her story of a recent online scam.

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