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Police said it’s a massive increase compared to 21 occurrences in 2021 with a loss of $270,000 and 2019 where just four incidents were reported with a loss of $84,000
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Some Edmontonians looking for love last year are collectively down more than $5 million after being victimized by cryptocurrency investment scams, police said.
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Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is warning residents of cryptocurrency investment scams due to the crime’s rapid rise in the city.
In 2021, the EPS’ cybercrime investigations unit identified 87 cryptocurrency investment complaints with a monetary loss of over $5.29 million. Police said it’s a massive increase compared to 21 occurrences in 2020 with a loss of $270,000 and 2019 where just four incidents were reported with a loss of $84,000.
EPS cybercrime unit’s Det. Dana Gehring said a number of the investment scams started on an online dating platform.
“We know online dating is extremely common, so we want to ensure Edmontonians know the signs of a potential romance investment scam and understand that dating sites and social media should not be where you find cryptocurrency…
