In a shocking case of a cryptocurrency scam, an Alexandria man has reported losing nearly half a million dollars after becoming involved with an individual he met on the dating app Tinder. This information has surfaced from a recently released search warrant affidavit detailing the events surrounding this significant financial loss.
The victim initially contacted the Alexandria Police Department on January 28, revealing that he had been defrauded of approximately $480,000. According to the affidavit, the unfortunate series of events began on October 22, 2025, when the victim matched with a woman who went by the name Leah. After a few days of chatting, Leah, who later identified herself as Laura Su, suggested that they move their conversations to WhatsApp.
In the ensuing discussions, the suspect introduced the victim to the concept of investing in short-term gold trading through the well-known cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase. The victim was quickly drawn into what seemed like a lucrative investment opportunity. On October 30, 2025, he made an initial deposit of $10,000 into a Coinbase account, spurred on by the suspect’s claims of earning a $2,000 profit and demonstrating the process of withdrawing funds.
Buoyed by initial success, the victim continued to invest, depositing an additional $100,000 on November 5, 2025, followed by $190,100 on November 25, 2025, and ultimately $128,800 on January 2, 2026. The relationship seemed to flourish through continual financial exchanges, with the victim even reaching out to the suspect on Christmas Day when he needed assistance paying his bills. She helped him withdraw $9,800 at that time.
However, the suspect later convinced the victim to withdraw a staggering $500,000 to ostensibly cover capital gains taxes on supposed profits. An additional brokerage fee of $151,688 was presented as a requirement before he could access his funds. The victim, feeling pressured and believing he was on the verge of a financial windfall, scrambled to come up with the necessary funds. He managed to deposit $51,784.34 on January 27, 2026, but was informed that the suspect had covered the remaining balance of $99,903.66.
The situation took a turn for the worse when the victim was informed that his transactions were delayed, incurring an additional late fee of $13,652. It wasn’t until January 28 that he realized he had fallen victim to a scam, after being alerted by a private company specializing in cryptocurrency investigations.
According to the affidavit, Bitget, a crypto trading platform, provided crucial transaction details that revealed the movement of funds. Investigators traced the money transferred on the TRON blockchain, eventually converting it to Tether, another cryptocurrency. Authorities confirmed that some of the fraudulently obtained funds were directed to a Bitget Exchange account and a wallet associated with Binance.com. Further investigation led to an account holder located in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
As of now, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing, leaving the victim in a precarious financial situation and raising concerns about the vulnerability of individuals engaging in online relationships and investments.
