Virginia man Charles Cox, 69, loses $272,000 in pig butchering scam after Facebook friend 'Jansen David' spends months building trust before introducing fake crypto investment site

Summary

Charles Cox, a 69-year-old Virginia man, lost $272,000 in a pig butchering crypto scam that began in August 2023 when a Facebook account in the name of 'Jansen David' sent him a friend request. Seeing mutual friends, Cox accepted. The scammer moved conversations to WhatsApp over several months, building trust by discussing family, cooking and work, before introducing cryptocurrency investing. Cox invested $1,000 initially and saw apparent returns, then in December 2023 invested $185,000 in what appeared to be a legitimate bitcoin website. Shortly after, a woman from Fairfax Adult Protective Services knocked on his door — someone had alerted the agency to his large wire transfers. The website, crypto account, wire transfer name, and Facebook identity were all fabricated. Cox was unable to recover the funds despite his bank's efforts to reverse the wire transfers. 'I've been financially assaulted, and it's a devastating feeling,' he said.