A Massachusetts resident fell prey to a sophisticated investment scam on the popular dating app Tinder, resulting in the loss of over $504,000. According to federal authorities, the victim was targeted by a person claiming to be "Nino Martin," who posed as a financial advisor offering lucrative cryptocurrency trading opportunities.
The alleged scheme, known as a "pig-butchering" plot, involves manipulating and deceiving victims into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. The scammer convinced the victim to create an account on Tinder, where they were instructed to transfer funds to a suspected trading platform. When suspicious activity was detected, the scammer contacted the victim, providing instructions on how to avoid account restrictions.
The victim, unaware of the scheme's true nature, continued to transfer funds, with approximately $504,353 sent in total. Some of these funds were later traced to a cryptocurrency account that was seized by authorities in June 2025.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to recover the lost amount, estimated to be worth around $200,000, in cryptocurrencies including Tether. The investigation, which began in April 2025, is ongoing, and no alleged perpetrator has been identified.
This incident highlights the growing threat of cryptocurrency investment scams, with scammers often operating from overseas. Authorities warn that these schemes can be highly sophisticated, making it challenging for victims to detect the scam.
In this case, the victim's vulnerability was exploited through social engineering tactics on a dating platform. As law enforcement works to recover the stolen funds and hold the perpetrators accountable, experts advise caution when investing in cryptocurrencies and emphasize the importance of verifying the authenticity of investment opportunities.
The alleged scheme, known as a "pig-butchering" plot, involves manipulating and deceiving victims into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. The scammer convinced the victim to create an account on Tinder, where they were instructed to transfer funds to a suspected trading platform. When suspicious activity was detected, the scammer contacted the victim, providing instructions on how to avoid account restrictions.
The victim, unaware of the scheme's true nature, continued to transfer funds, with approximately $504,353 sent in total. Some of these funds were later traced to a cryptocurrency account that was seized by authorities in June 2025.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to recover the lost amount, estimated to be worth around $200,000, in cryptocurrencies including Tether. The investigation, which began in April 2025, is ongoing, and no alleged perpetrator has been identified.
This incident highlights the growing threat of cryptocurrency investment scams, with scammers often operating from overseas. Authorities warn that these schemes can be highly sophisticated, making it challenging for victims to detect the scam.
In this case, the victim's vulnerability was exploited through social engineering tactics on a dating platform. As law enforcement works to recover the stolen funds and hold the perpetrators accountable, experts advise caution when investing in cryptocurrencies and emphasize the importance of verifying the authenticity of investment opportunities.
! I mean, who falls for that stuff? The fact that this guy lost over half a million dollars is just insane... and now the authorities are trying to get it back from whoever did this 
. But at the same time, I feel kinda bad for the scammer - they must've been pretty desperate to think they could pull off something like that 
... wait, no, don't even say that! They're total scammers and should be totally caught and punished 
. But what's really messed up is how these scams are getting more and more sophisticated - it's like, you can't even trust a dating app to keep your info safe anymore 
. So yeah, we need to be super careful with our cryptocurrency investments and all that... but also, I don't know, maybe just be more cautious on Tinder? 
people gotta be so careful with online scams these days, i mean $504k lost on tinder is just insane 
and now law enforcement is trying to recover the funds and it's just so frustrating that no one has been caught yet 
we need more awareness about these types of scams, especially with crypto investments 
gotta make sure to do our research before investing, fam 
i mean, i know we're all supposed to be careful online, but $504k?! that's just insane 
. ugh, scammers are getting so good at this stuff 
. we need to all be super careful with our online money moves from now on 
.
and it's not like they even got caught... yet! 
. let's all just be more vigilant and take care of ourselves online 
. You've got to hand it to the scammers, they're definitely creative. But you know what's even more frustrating? It's not like there aren't any red flags for people to notice 
. But seriously, people need to wake up and start being more vigilant online 
.
. It's like, how are we supposed to know if someone on Tinder is legit or not? They're using our own vulnerability against us, which is just crazy 
. I mean, come on - we need to be more careful with our personal info and online interactions.
. And the worst part is, it was a cryptocurrency scheme 
before we invest in anything. It's also important to remember that if something seems too good (or bad) to be true, it probably is 
. It's a scary world out there, folks...
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. it's so important to stay vigilant when investing in anything online, especially cryptocurrencies. authorities should totes recover the lost funds tho 
, especially on dating apps. stay safe online, fam! 