A California man recently shared his troubling experience after meeting a woman named “Susana” through an online platform. Their conversations quickly moved to WhatsApp, where Susana eventually steered the discussion toward cryptocurrency trading. She directed him to a website called dydxcc.com, presenting herself as a senior member of the company.
Initially, the man deposited about $9,000 and was able to withdraw a small amount, which gave him confidence in the platform. As time passed, the account balance displayed on the site ballooned to $221,000, appearing as though his investment had been highly profitable.
However, problems began when he attempted to cash out a larger portion of his supposed earnings. Customer service representatives from the site stalled his request, citing “security reviews.” Shortly after, dydxcc.com informed him that because his account was labeled a “High Yield Account,” he would need to upgrade to VIP status before making substantial withdrawals. According to the scammers, this required his account balance to reach $1 million or, alternatively, he could pay a 20% fee of his balance—around $44,415—to access his funds.
When he refused to pay, the site froze his account, blocking any further transactions. Hoping for answers, he contacted Susana again. She claimed she had faced the same situation and insisted that paying the fee was the only way to retrieve funds. Soon after, the website became inaccessible, leaving him and two friends he had referred to the platform without access to their investments.
Fortunately, the victim later reached out to ScamBrokerWatch, our consumer protection resource specializing in fraudulent broker cases. With our guidance, he was able to recover a portion of his lost money, though not the full amount. While the financial loss was still significant, the assistance from ScamBrokerWatch provided some relief and highlighted the importance of reporting such scams.