69-year-old Tennessee real estate agent loses $200,000 to crypto scam via fraudulent stockbroker impersonation on video calls Another real estate agent from North Carolina loses $815,000 in similar scam via FaceTime impersonation and fake profits

Summary

A 69-year-old real estate agent from Franklin, Tenn., lost $200,000 in a cryptocurrency scam after being contacted by someone posing as a stockbroker. The scammer, who communicated via video calls and claimed to have a $3 million budget for a real estate purchase, gradually convinced her to invest in a fraudulent crypto platform. She later borrowed an additional $250,000 from a home equity line of credit and was told she needed to pay a 10% deposit to release $2.1 million in "frozen" funds. After an investor friend revealed the scam, she contacted law enforcement and the FBI, but was initially told the money could not be recovered. Another real estate agent from Raleigh, N.C., lost $815,000 in a similar scam after a man posing as a potential buyer convinced her and her family to invest in cryptocurrency. The scammer, who communicated via FaceTime and claimed to have a $2.5 million budget, persuaded her to invest after showing fake profits. The family withdrew $500 and $10,000 before investing heavily, including using retirement funds. When they were asked to pay a security deposit to withdraw $150,000, they realized the scam and reported it to local law enforcement and the FBI. Both victims were discouraged by initial responses from authorities and were told recovery was unlikely.