Case Background

Ms. Zhang (pseudonym) is a successful corporate executive who has been busy with work and has always hoped to find a suitable partner. In 2024, she met a man who claimed to be engaged in financial investment in Europe on a high-end dating platform. The man was gentle, well-spoken, and full of taste in his daily life. The two soon interacted frequently on social media, and their relationship quickly heated up.

During the months of communication, the man was considerate and caring, and often shared his "achievements at work" and "plans for future life together." He also constantly instilled investment ideas into Ms. Zhang, claiming that he had stable investment channels overseas and was willing to help her realize wealth appreciation.

Under the persuasion of the other party, Ms. Zhang tried to transfer 20,000 US dollars to a designated investment platform, and soon obtained "substantial returns" and successfully withdrew the money. Out of trust, she gradually increased her investment amount and invested a total of 500,000 US dollars. However, when she planned to withdraw the money again, the platform suddenly refused to withdraw the money on the grounds of "account freezing" and "need to pay a deposit", and required an additional payment of 20% of the funds to unfreeze. At this time, she realized that she might have been deceived and immediately sought legal help.

Rights protection process

Step 1: Case analysis and case filing

After receiving Ms. Zhang's request for help, the lawyer team immediately launched an investigation and found that the investment platform had no legal qualifications at all, and its server address and registration information were seriously abnormal. After further investigation, it was confirmed that the case was a typical "pig killing" scam, that is, the fraudsters gained the trust of the victims through long-term emotional relationships and then carried out investment fraud.

Step 2: Tracking the flow of funds

The professional financial investigation team used blockchain analysis tools to track the flow of funds and found that Ms. Zhang's remittances flowed into an underground financial institution in a Southeast Asian country after multiple transfers and were quickly converted into Bitcoin. The legal team then cooperated with international financial regulators and related exchanges to apply for an emergency freeze on some of the accounts involved.

Step 3: Legal proceedings and cross-border cooperation

As the case involved multiple countries, we launched an investigation with Interpol, financial regulators and local law enforcement agencies, and cooperated with the law enforcement agencies in the victims' location to formally file a lawsuit. At the same time, the legal team submitted legal letters to relevant financial institutions, requesting them to stop any suspicious transactions, and sought to negotiate with third-party payment platforms to recover some of the funds.

Step 4: Recover funds

Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the legal team, we successfully helped Ms. Zhang recover $350,000 out of $500,000. As part of the funds have been transferred to an untraceable underground financial system, we are still working with relevant agencies to further recover the remaining amount. At the same time, law enforcement agencies have successfully identified some members of the fraud gang, and the case is still moving forward.

Case Summary

Common tactics used in online dating scams

Scammers usually look for targets on high-end dating platforms or social media, pretending to be successful people.

By cultivating relationships over a long period of time, they win the victim's trust and gradually guide them into investment or financial transactions.

The victims are first given a small return to create the illusion of making money, and then are further induced to invest larger sums.

After the victims invested large sums of money, the platform suddenly closed or refused withdrawals for various reasons, and the scammers then lost contact.

Lawyer’s advice: How to prevent online dating scams?

When meeting new friends on social platforms, you should be highly vigilant if they involve financial transactions or investment advice.

Don't trust the other party's identity and background easily. You can verify the other party's information through official channels.

If the other party proposes a high-return investment opportunity, especially if it requires transferring funds to a private account or an unfamiliar investment platform, you should refuse it immediately.

Once you discover that you have been cheated, you should keep all chat records and transfer receipts as soon as possible, seek the assistance of a professional lawyer, and take legal action in a timely manner.

If you or someone around you has encountered a similar scam, please contact our legal team immediately to start the rights protection process and recover your losses!