Consumer complaint received 2025-11-07 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Coinbase, Inc.
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
My ordeal began last year when I received a XXXX message from an unknown person named XXXX XXXX, offering me an easy part-time job that could provide additional income. Due to financial difficulties on platform called XXXX, I accepted the offer and began working as an advertisement evaluator on social media. However, the situation took a bizarre turneach time I completed a task to earn money, I was required to pay additional costs. I ended up sending over {$16000.00} in cryptocurrency ( XXXX and XXXX ) through XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. I have all the evidence documenting this fraudulent scheme, which I saved on my phone. 

Once I realized I was a victim of fraud, I sought help to stop these scammers and protect others from falling into the same trap. I emailed XXXX XXXX customer support, only to receive a disappointing response in which they dismissed me as a foolish victim of fraud. Refusing to accept defeat, I resolved to fight for my childrens stolen money and to bring these criminals to justice. 
After extensive online research, I came across the XXXX profile of you XXXX XXXX, the XXXX  of XXXX  XXXX. Excited and hopeful, I reached out to her via XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX. Although I initially received no response, I was surprised to get a reply from her on XX/XX/XXXX, stating that she was willing to assist me. She provided me with the official email address of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) and instructed me to explain my case to them. I complied, sending a detailed email outlining the scam. XXXX responded, requesting all data related to the scammers As the process progressed, then XXXX XXXX informed me that she had a close connection with XXXX XXXXXXXX, the XXXX Secretary of the XXXX XXXX. She advised me to contact her via XXXX, which I did. XXXX XXXX asked me to submit all call logs, messages, and the total amounts I had transferred to the scammers in cryptocurrency. After some time, XXXX XXXX informed me that a case had been filed against the fraudsters, providing me with a case number. She also advised me to hire a lawyer specializing in such cases. Since was unfamiliar with legal proceedings, she recommended attorney named XXXX XXXX, with whom she had worked on similar cases before. When I contacted XXXX XXXX via XXXX, he agreed to take on my case and requested a {$5000.00} legal fee, along with a XXXX contingency fee if the case was won. Within two weeks, he informed me that he had represented me in court in XXXX, XXXX, and had successfully won compensation of XXXX from the perpetrators. He advised me to be prepared for a message from the court representative, who would transfer the amount to my Coinbase XXXX wallet. 

After the legal proceedings were completed, I received a deposit of {$290000.00} in my coinbase web XXXX wallet in the form of a XXXX XXXX XXXX token. Two days later, I received an email from Coinbase XXXX, requesting a {$35000.00} tax payment to unlock my funds. Believing this was the final step, I sent the amount, only to be told I needed to pay an additional {$60000.00} in taxes due to the increased value of XXXX, which had inflated my balance to {$800000.00}. 
Struggling to raise the money, I took out a bank loan to pay the tax in hopes that this would finally allow me to access my funds. However, I was shocked to learn that Coinbase XXXX had flagged my account and was demanding further tax payments. In an attempt to protect me, they suggested transferring the funds directly to my XXXX XXXX account instead. 
At this point, my balance had grown to {$2.00} due to XXXX rising value. I was overjoyed, believing that XXXX, as the CEO of XXXX XXXX, would help me access my money. However, she informed me that she could not risk her position for my sake and requested proof that my funds were not the result of money laundering. 
A mysterious XXXX representative named XXXX XXXX contacted me via XXXX demanding a {$7000.00} payment for a tax evaluation certificate to clear my funds and prove its not money laundering. After XXXX exhausting months, on XX/XX/XXXX, I was still waiting for the release of my {$3.00} XXXX. 
The final and most devastating blow came when XXXX told me she wanted to help me, so she transferred my funds to her close associate, XXXX XXXX XXXX the owner of a major cryptocurrency mining company ( RIOT ) XXXX week later, XXXX XXXX XXXX a {$10000.00} mining fee by send me an email from his firm, claiming that my balance had now grown to {$5.00} XXXX. 

It was at this moment that I finally realized I had been deceived for XXXX months. I had been subjected to unbearable financial and emotional distress, leading to overwhelming debt that now threatens to leave me and my children homeless. 
I deeply apologize for the length of this message, but I felt it was necessary to share my full experience. I beg youfor the sake of my children and my family, for whom I have fought so hardto help me recover my stolen funds and bring these criminals to justice. 

I am still in contact with the scammer on social media, as he continues to believe that I am nave enough to fall for his deception. Last week, he made a critical mistakehe attempted to deceive me through an AI-generated video call, posing as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX the owner of the well-known XXXX mining company, XXXX. I captured a screenshot of the call and have preserved the call link, along with all the evidence necessary to facilitate his arrest and prosecution. I hope this will serve as a precedent to deter any other malicious individuals seeking to destroy the lives of innocent families. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation