Omaha woman loses $730,000 in crypto scam

OMAHA – An Omaha woman lost more than $730,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.

In a document filed in US District Court in Nebraska on Wednesday, the woman, identified only as MM, met a person named Stefan Lang on an online dating platform in 2021. Lang convinced the woman to invest her savings in cryptocurrency.

From June to August of that year, the woman deposited $732,937.10 in Bitcoin and sent it to a Bitcoin miner identified as Michael Girard. When the woman tried to withdraw her Bitcoin wallets, Girard told her she would have to pay an 18% clearance fee to receive her money.

Despite sending the clarification fee in three installments, the woman did not receive her money as she was told the clarification fee had to be paid in one transaction.

That’s when the woman contacted local police, who then notified the FBI on September 2, 2021. The FBI identified nine accounts used in the electronic money laundering scheme against the victim. The accounts belonged to Binance Holdings, a company located in the Cayman Islands.

The FBI seized the cryptocurrency in February 2022 via an arrest warrant and currently has custody of the property. The federal government is asking the court that the money be drained to the United States. The case has been assigned to a federal judge.

A Beginner’s Guide to Crypto Languages

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency created in 2009 by an unknown person (or persons) using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Unlike traditional currencies such as the US dollar, bitcoin is not controlled by a bank or government. Bitcoin is by far the most valuable and popular cryptocurrency in use today.

A Beginner's Guide to Crypto Languages — Investing in cryptocurrencies requires an appetite for risk and a whole new vocabulary.

MARTIN AGENCY

Blockchain

A blockchain is a digital ledger and the key technology underlying most cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (more on those later) and other unique digital items.

Blockchain can be used to store all kinds of information, but so far the most common use is in recording cryptocurrency transactions. When a transaction is made, it is entered into this public ledger, which is managed by a global peer-to-peer network – millions of computers, in bitcoin’s case.

Blockchain is fundamental to bitcoin’s appeal: As a decentralized database, it cannot be controlled by one person or group – unlike a fiat currency like the US dollar, which is managed by a central bank.

Buy the damn dip (BTFD)

A rallying cry for crypto bulls urging investors to buy coins when prices fall.

Coin base

The leading cryptocurrency exchange platform. The company went public in April, an event that many saw as a turning point in the history of cryptocurrencies’ journey into the mainstream marketplace.

Cryptocurrency

A fully digital monetary system consisting of “coins” or “tokens” controlled by a decentralized ledger.

Dogecoin

The oddity of the crypto family began as a joke based on the “doge” meme in 2013. But as cryptos have gained mainstream interest, dogecoin has emerged as an unexpected heavy hitter. It now has a market cap of more than $30 billion and is up more than 5,000% so far this year. And unlike its more popular brethren, a single dogecoin is still cheap — it hit an all-time high of around 45 cents in April. Whether or not it’s a smart investment is still an active question.

Elon Musk

The Tesla CEO whose tweets have been known to spark rallies in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and dogecoin.

Ethereum

An open-source blockchain-based software that controls the cryptocurrency Ether. It is the second largest digital currency by market cap of nearly $300 billion.

FUD (“fear, uncertainty, doubt”)

In crypto parlance, FUD refers to negative information that weighs an asset’s value.

Mining

The complicated process by which new bitcoins are put into circulation. Mining is not for amateur enthusiasts: it requires powerful computers that solve complex mathematical puzzles to create a new “block” on the blockchain.

The mining process eats up a lot of computing power and electricity, which has led to concerns about bitcoin’s environmental impact.

NFT

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are pieces of digital content linked to the Ethereum blockchain. “Non-fungible” essentially means one-of-a-kind, something that cannot be replaced, unlike, say, a dollar bill that you can replace with any other dollar bill. In the simplest terms, NFTs transform digital artwork and other collectibles into unique, verifiable assets.

Hong Kong Sophia the Robot Artist — Sophia uses a brush to paint at Hanson Robotics’ studio in Hong Kong on March 29, 2021. Sophia is a multi-talented robot – she talks, jokes, sings and even creates art. In March, she caused a stir in the art world when a digital work she created as part of a collaboration was sold at auction for $688,888 in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT). (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Vincent Yu

Satoshi Nakamoto

The pseudonym referring to the person (or persons) who invented bitcoin. Their real identities are still unknown.

Satoshis, also known as “Sats”

The smallest unit of bitcoin ever recorded on the blockchain, equal to one millionth of a bitcoin.

Wallet

Like the physical thing you carry cash and cards in, a wallet in the crypto world is a place to store digital currency. The most important thing you need to know about wallets is that you must never, ever lose or forget your password.