Cryptocurrency scam costs online dating user £20,000

Internet cons have surged in the Covid crisis, with some victims left with little recourse to recover cash

In early May, James Evans* met a man on the dating app Grindr. The man, who said his name was David, was friendly and chatty. It started off as a normal conversation," says Evans. We moved to WhatsApp and exchanged messages. After a few days he started telling me about crypto trading and how he could show me how it worked and how I could earn money from it. It seemed like a genuine connection."

Unfortunately for Evans, , that wasn't the case. He hadhooked up with a scammer, who within a week had convinced him to hand over 20,000.