Brazilian Investor Seeks Justice After Cryptocurrency Scam on Social Media
A Brazilian investor who lost R$40,000 (approximately $8,000 USD) after investing in a fraudulent cryptocurrency platform is taking legal action against Facebook and Telegram. The investor hopes to uncover the identities of the scammers who deceived him through contacts initiated on these social media networks.
The fraudulent company, known as AI Bot, lured investors with promises of high returns. It also created a fake DeFi wallet for its users on a platform that claimed to automate cryptocurrency trading. These promises attracted numerous victims in Brazil, including a resident of Rio Grande do Norte.
“He claims he was the victim of a scam after being approached by a group that feigned technical and market knowledge in the area of crypto assets. Convinced of the integrity and credibility of the information received, he made several cryptocurrency transfers, according to instructions received from the interlocutors, who used the profile @AI_BOT_VIP88 on the Telegram platform and the telephone number +44 7456 881582 linked to the WhatsApp application, totaling a financial loss estimated at around R$40,000.00,”
The investor stated in his initial petition to the court of São Paulo.
The court ruled in favor of the investor, ordering Facebook and Telegram to provide the data of the criminals, under penalty of a fine. The social networks have 15 days to respond to the lawsuit after being summoned.
The Legal Perspective on Social Media’s Role in Cryptocurrency Scams
Raphael Souza, a lawyer specializing in cryptocurrencies and digital law, emphasized that digital scams often originate within social networks. This decision highlights the responsibility of social media companies to cooperate with legal authorities to mitigate damages to victims.
“Nowadays, almost every digital scam starts within a social network or messaging application. Criminals hide behind fake profiles, but only the platforms have access to the technical data—such as IP address, telephone number, email, geolocation, and access logs—that allow them to identify who is behind it. Even so, in most cases, these companies refuse to hand over everything: they provide only part of the data or simply claim ‘privacy’ to deliver nothing. When this happens, they can be fined daily until they comply with the court order and, in addition, be liable for compensation to the victim for omission,”
Souza explained.
Elaborate Excuses and Demands for Funds
A peculiar aspect of the scam involved the moment when the investor began questioning the possibility of withdrawing his investments. Via WhatsApp, he requested information on how he could access his DeFi wallet on the platform to withdraw profits.
Initially, the criminals indicated that he needed to pay 10,000 USDT for the mining pool, which had not yet been paid. However, after further withdrawal requests, the scammers claimed that the investor had failed to pay his taxes to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) and FinCEN (USA) in the Middle East.
Suspecting a scam, the investor contacted the civil police and filed a police report for fraud, subsequently initiating legal proceedings to identify the scammers.
Stay ahead of the curve in the fast-paced crypto world – explore the latest updates and trends at Cryptonewsfeeds.com.
