Woman defrauded online after using cryptocurrency website
By Rossland Telegraph
On Friday, July 18, 2025, a 61-year-old Trail woman informed frontline Trail and Greater District RCMP that she had lost about $37,000 to an elaborate online cryptocurrency fraud.
The woman joined a cryptocurrency trading platform website after seeing an advertisement on social media. She began making incremental investments at the recommendation of her online advisor who promised fabulous returns on her initial investment. The woman eventually provided access to her bank account to her advisor. The woman could view her account and see her investments into various crypto currencies. She was encouraged to invest more and more by the advisor.
The woman was asked by her advisor to pay a $10,000 crypto tax on her investment earnings. After the tax was paid, the woman became suspicious that she was being defrauded as she was not able to access any of her alleged monetary gains. The woman believed she lost up to $37,000 to the scam.
The woman took steps to secure her account and stop any further bank withdrawals. The money is not recoverable.
Investing in cryptocurrency can carry an extremely high risk of losing your invested funds, even without being defrauded via fake advisors and cryptocurrency websites.
Anyone can set up a fake website that appears legitimate but the sole purpose is to steal your money.
Remember, no one can or should promise you large returns on your investments nor should they be allowed access to your bank accounts. Investors are recommend to use trusted institutions and accredited investment advisors with proven money management track records to better protect your money, says Sgt. Wicentowich.
For more information on crypto currency frauds and scams please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
In other police news, two Fruitvale men – one 18 years old and one 20 years old – have had their vehicles impounded for up to 30 days, and lost their licences for 90 days after impaired-driving incidents.
The 18-year-old was reported to have crashed his vehicle into a vehicle parked on Mill Road on July 18. The 20-year-old was stopped at a roadside safety check on Columbia Gardens Road on July 20.
Trail RCMP and BC Highway Patrol continue to patrol our roads and highways all summer to keep our roads safer for travel, says Sgt. Wicentowich.
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