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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Jess Clark and Alex Hern

‘Mental anguish’: how a crypto scam advertised on Facebook cost victim her life savings

Facebook graphic
So far this year, there have been 1,095 cases of investment fraud related to Facebook reported to Action Fraud, with victims losing a total of £18.6m by 31 May. Illustration: Eleanor Shakespeare/The Guardian

Jane* lost her life savings and loans worth £75,000 after falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam advertised on Facebook, which falsely claimed to be endorsed by the consumer champion Martin Lewis and left her saddled with thousands of pounds of debt.

She is one of a growing number of Britons who has been scammed while using a social media platform operated by Meta, which also runs Instagram and WhatsApp. Banks are reporting a surge in fraud cases on the tech giant’s websites and apps, expected to cost UK households £250m this year.

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