Dutch crypto scammer Berry van Mourik managed to steal at least $2.24 million in a bitcoin mining investment scam. Following the latest cryptocurrency news, authorities in the Netherlands arrested the suspect in Apeldoorn which a city in the province of Gelderland.
According to the reports by the daily De Gelrderlander, the scammer started the scheme in 2017. Van Mourik was a senior executive of two firms which he used to sell bitcoin mining rigs. He asked investors to buy the rigs saying that he will operate the bitcoin mining operations on their behalf. The dutch crypto scammer promised the investors massive monthly returns of about 0.3 bitcoin.
However, the investors didn’t get the promised returns but they also didn’t get the mining rigs they ordered. Investigations showed that the mining rigs were never acquired by van Mourik in the first place. He used the money to afford a lavish lifestyle that included gambling, buying expensive cars and traveling. His home and business offices were raided in 2018 and most of his possessions are seized.
According to the altcoin news reports, about 100 people were scammed by Van Mourik. This was not the first time he got in trouble with the law. For example, back in February 2018, the court in Amsterdam declared his bitcoin mining firm bankrupt.
The investors never got their mining rigs and each investor put about 3,000 euros which they eventually lost. Some of the investors contacted him and he offered excuses that he was not in the country or he is having trouble with the harsh crypto market conditions. Van Moruik eventually denied the accusations.
The Dutch bitcoin mining scam is similar to one reported earlier in China. In that fraud, multiple people lost about $300 million when the Chinese police discovered the scam. The fraudulent scheme included selling mining machines that could mine multiple cryptocurrencies. More than 300,000 mining rigs were sold and each unit was priced at $840. The scheme lured investors by saying to their customers they could recoup their investments within two months. The price of one of the tokens CAI increased up to $0.29. Consequently, many investors bought hundreds of mining rigs hoping to make tons of money.
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