I Lost Everything to a Crypto Romance Scam

They say love is blind, but no one ever tells you it can also be deaf, dumb, and broke. My name is Chuka, a 31-year-old digital marketer living in Surulere, Lagos. I’ve always been smart—or so I thought. But all it took was one girl, a few sweet words, and a token called CBEX to shatter everything I knew about trust, love, and money.

It Started With a DM

It was a regular Sunday evening in September 2024. I had just posted a screenshot of my small win on a trending Nigerian crypto token called CBEX. The token had just pumped 60%, and I felt like the next big investor. An hour later, a DM popped up from someone named Vanessa Obiora. Her profile was everything—classy, minimal, with a bio that read:

Crypto babe. Forex lover. Lagos & Dubai based.

She liked three of my photos before dropping a simple message:

“You’re into CBEX too? Let’s talk. You look like someone who knows the game.”

I was hooked.

The Love-Bombing Phase

From that day, it was nonstop chats. Morning “good mornings” turned into late-night calls—though she always made excuses about her camera being “spoilt.” She told me about her crypto journey, how she made her first N2.3 million from staking CBEX, and how she wanted to build a future with a man who understood financial freedom.

Looking back now, every word was calculated. Every flirt, every compliment, was part of the trap.

She added me to a Telegram crypto investment group. There were over 800 members, and everyone seemed to be making money. Screenshots of “withdrawals,” testimonies, and even referrals filled the chat daily. I didn’t know then that it was all orchestrated crypto scam theatre.

The Pitch

Two weeks in, she made the pitch.

“CBEX is about to explode. My mentor is helping a few of us buy in bulk before it hits Binance. But you have to be serious. Minimum entry is N500K.”

I hesitated. That was a big ask. But she was good. She sent me fake proof of past payouts. She even told me she’d “personally double” whatever I invested.

So, I took the leap.

I sent N500,000 to a wallet address she gave me. Two days later, she sent me a “dashboard screenshot” showing that my investment had grown to N950K. She even sent me N50,000 as a “taste of success.”

I was blown away.

Greed + Love = Blindness

My senses should have kicked in, but I was already in deep. She had started calling me “babe,” sending voice notes, even talking about coming to visit me in Lagos. I started to imagine a future with her—me, the sharp Lagos boy, and her, the crypto queen.

Over the next three weeks, I sent more money:

N750K the following week.
N1 million when she said there was “one last buy-in” before the token hit Binance.
Another N1.2 million after she claimed we could retire in 6 months.

That’s N3.5 million gone. Just like that.

The Disappearance

One Thursday morning, I woke up and tried to call her. Her number was switched off. Her Instagram was gone. Telegram group? Deleted. Even her “mentor” blocked me.

I couldn’t breathe. I paced my small apartment for hours, trying to make sense of it. I checked CBEX price on CoinMarketCap—no spike. No news of a Binance listing. Nothing.

That’s when the truth hit me harder than a moving bus on Eko Bridge.

I had just become the latest victim of a romance-based crypto scam in Nigeria.

After the Fall

I sank into depression. I stopped talking to my friends. I avoided social media. I felt too ashamed to tell anyone what had happened. Me, Chuka—the one always warning others about Nigerian online fraud—had fallen for the oldest trick in the book.

And the worst part? I still missed her voice sometimes.

A Lesson I’ll Never Forget

Now, I share my story on crypto scam awareness forums and online fraud recovery groups. I may never get my money back, but if you’re reading this and thinking about sending money to someone you met online—don’t.

Love shouldn’t come with a crypto wallet address.

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