I recently fell victim to a cryptocurrency scam that resulted in the loss of $31,383.51 in USDC through a DeFi wallet associated with www.web345s.com. It began when several strangers added me on Facebook, including two women who introduced me to crypto short-term trading and Ethereum (ETH) mining, boasting unusually high interest rates of around 20% per week, which raised my suspicions.
Another woman named Emma contacted me, presenting herself as a businesswoman interested in investing in my company. She even video-called me to verify our identities, which built my trust. During our conversations, I mentioned my exploration into crypto trading and ETH mining. Emma advised against these ventures, expressing distrust in cryptocurrencies. Despite her advice, my curiosity led me to test the waters.
I invested $25,000 in USDT for ETH mining and $6,000 in USDT for crypto trading using a DeFi wallet I believed to be reputable. Emma later suggested I store my funds in USDC instead of USDT, claiming it was safer. She then advised me to delete my existing DeFi wallet and provided a link to www.web345s.com, instructing me to paste it into a new wallet. She explained that this would securely store my USDC and earn stable interest, similar to a bank account.
Trusting her guidance, I followed her instructions. On November 18, 2024, I attempted to transfer my USDC back to check its safety but lacked the necessary ETH to cover gas fees. I informed Emma, who offered to send me some ETH to complete the transaction. Suddenly, my USDC disappeared from the wallet. Alarmed, I contacted Emma and the web345 team. They claimed I had been "selected as a lucky user" and automatically enrolled in their VIP2 plan, which required me to transfer additional funds to unlock my money.
On November 20, 2024, Emma told me I needed a total balance of $67,777 USDC within seven days to access my funds. She warned that if I didn't add more money, my $31,000 would remain locked in a blockchain smart contract, making it permanently inaccessible. At that moment, I realized I had been scammed by www.web345s.com.