Finland rarely makes headlines for bitcoin scams, but today it did happen. A certain Thai actor, Jiratpisit Jaraviyit, defrauded 22-year-old Finnish citizen Aarni Otava Saarimaa of a large amount of bitcoin. Celebrities are often used to perpetrate cryptocurrency scams, and the opposite has never happened before.
According to reports, Jaraviyit, better known as “Boom,” persuaded Saarimaa to transfer large amounts of bitcoin to a number of addresses that were allegedly used to invest in a new project called “Dragon Coin.” Saarimaa was intrigued by the opportunity to finance the release of a new coin and expected that his funds would be returned to him after the launch of the project. It was essentially an ICO scam of sorts, whereby Saarimaa was swindled out of 5,500BTC, which is approximately $34 million.
As it turns out, the Dragon Coin project does exist, but has nothing to do with either Boom or this scam. Thus, Boom simply used the Dragon Coin as a red herring to convince Saarimaa that he was investing in a real project.
«In response to the victim's complaint, 35-year-old actor Jiratpisit (Boom) was arrested and then released on bail on the condition that he pay a fine of two million baht and sign an undertaking not to leave the country. In addition to the actor, it is believed that five or six more wanted scammers were involved in the scam, including Jarawiyit's 32-year-old brother and sister. According to the investigation, the money was reinvested in businesses located in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Chon Buri,” Coindoo reports.
This is a scam of horrific proportions. For the crime committed, the actor will face not only a severe sentence, but also the collapse of his career. As for Saarimaa, he can only draw conclusions for the future.
For everyone else, this is another example of how careful one must be when making investments. Not only should you trade safely, but you should also store your funds securely. Do not invest your money in projects that you are not sure about, as sometimes they may only seem legitimate, but are not.
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