Technology
Connecticut man loses life savings in crypto scam
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When Joe A. from Shelton, Conn., received a text about a crypto investment opportunity, he thought it was his chance to rebuild after a divorce. Instead, he lost every dollar he had. Joe’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of how easy it is to fall for an online investment scam that promises quick success and easy money.
Joe has allowed Cyberguy to tell his powerful story so that others can learn from his experience and protect themselves from similar scams. Here is how it all went down and how you can protect yourself from falling into the same trap.
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HOW TO STOP IMPOSTOR BANK SCAMS BEFORE THEY DRAIN YOUR WALLET
After his account access vanished, scammers allegedly demanded more cash to “reactivate” it. By then, Joe’s retirement savings were wiped out. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How the online investment scam began
In August, Joe got a message from a company calling itself “ZAP Solutions.” They promised that if he invested $30,000, he’d soon have $368,000 in returns. It sounded like a smart move. Like many victims, Joe believed the pitch because it seemed professional and legitimate.
But soon, he was led deeper into a trap. Each “short-term investment” required another wire transfer. Before he knew it, Joe had sent every penny, his 401K, IRA, and other investments.
When the investment scam fell apart
The moment Joe was locked out of his account, panic set in. The scammers demanded more money to “reactivate” it. By the end, Joe had lost $228,000.
His mother, Carol, was devastated when she found out.
“I was shocked,” she said. “He showed us the screenshots, the messages, he emptied everything.”
Joe and his family filed a police report with local authorities and contacted the FBI. But according to officers, recovery is unlikely.
“They told us there’s no way to get it back,” Carol said. “These cyber stalkers move the money too fast.”
The bigger picture: Online investment scams are rising
Joe’s story isn’t unique. The FBI reports that cyber criminals have stolen more than $50 billion from Americans in just five years. Scammers prey on emotion, targeting people who are hopeful, lonely, or in transition.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Joe said, stating a phrase we all should remember.
How to protect yourself from online investment scams
Staying safe starts with awareness and consistent action. Cybercriminals are getting more creative, so protecting your finances means staying alert every step of the way. Follow these proven steps to safeguard your accounts and identity.
1) Research before you invest
Always verify any investment opportunity before sending money. Look up the company through official government or financial websites, such as the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database or FINRA’s BrokerCheck. Read reviews, confirm licenses and search for scam alerts online.
2) Be suspicious of unsolicited messages and use strong antivirus software
If a text, email or social media message promises high returns, stop and think. Legitimate firms never cold-contact people about investment offers. Delete suspicious messages immediately and never click on links from unknown sources. Install and regularly update strong antivirus software on all your devices. This can block phishing attempts, malicious downloads, and fake investment platforms designed to steal your data.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
SCAMMERS NOW IMPERSONATE COWORKERS, STEAL EMAIL THREADS IN CONVINCING PHISHING ATTACKS
Joe’s mother says the family filed police and FBI reports, but recovery is unlikely as criminals move money fast across borders and accounts. (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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3) Check email addresses and website domains
Scammers often use domains that look almost identical to real ones. Double-check for misspellings, extra letters or unusual web extensions like “.co” or “.biz.” If you’re unsure, search for the official company site separately in your browser.
4) Never wire money to strangers
Once you wire money to a scammer, recovery is nearly impossible. Never send money to someone you’ve only met online, even if they claim to represent a reputable company. Always confirm payment details through verified sources.
5) Talk to a trusted financial advisor
Before you invest large sums, get a second opinion from a licensed financial advisor. A professional can spot red flags and unrealistic promises that you might overlook.
6) Use a data removal service
Protect your personal information by using a data removal or privacy service that scrubs your phone number, address and other details from people-search sites. This reduces the chance of scammers finding and targeting you.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the Internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
7) Enroll in an identity theft protection service
If scammers have your personal details, they could try to open credit cards or loans in your name. Enrolling in a reputable identity theft protection service adds another layer of security by monitoring your credit and alerting you to suspicious activity.
Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number and email address, and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.
FBI WARNS SENIORS ABOUT BILLION-DOLLAR SCAM DRAINING RETIREMENT FUNDS, EXPERT SAYS AI DRIVING IT
From antivirus and data-removal services to identity-theft monitoring, CyberGuy shares concrete steps to block phishing, verify firms and protect your money. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.
8) Report suspicious activity immediately
If you believe you’ve been targeted or scammed, act fast. Contact your local police department, your bank and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Quick action can sometimes limit further loss or help investigators trace the fraud.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Joe’s story is painful, but it’s also powerful. His honesty may stop someone else from losing everything. Online scams thrive when people stay silent, but sharing stories like Joe’s helps others stay alert. So before you trust anyone promising quick profits online, take a pause, verify everything and remember Joe’s story because one moment of caution could save you from a lifetime of regret.
Have you ever received an investment offer that seemed too good to be true? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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When Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro heard Google was gobbling up public land to fuel its data centers in her home state, she didn’t initially know what to believe. “There’s a lot of misinformation about data centers,” she said. “Google has denied taking that land.”
Technically, she explains, The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, sought to reclaim that land, “and Google is just a big, unnamed power user.” The city had in fact asked for ownership of a 150-acre portion of Mount Hood National Forest, claiming it needs access to Mount Hood’s watershed to meet municipal needs as its population — 16,010 as of the 2020 census — grows. But critics, including environmentalists, say the city is trying to secure more water for Google, which has a sprawling data center campus in The Dalles that already consumes about one-third of the city’s water supply.
This controversy made Reksopuro curious about the backlash to data centers being built in other communities. So Reksopuro, a student at the University of Washington who studies the connections between tech and public policy, decided to map it out. Using information collected by Epoch AI and data scraped from legislation on data centers, she built an interactive map tracking AI policy around the world. She designed it to be simple enough for anyone to use. “I wanted it to be something that my younger sisters could play through and explore to understand what are the data centers in the area and what’s actually being done about it,” Reksopuro said. She hoped to shift their opinions that way, “instead of like, through TikTok.”
Four times a day, the map searches for new sources and checks them against the existing database Reksopuro built out. “Once it does that, it will write a new summary, add it to the news feed, and populate it on the sidebar,” she said. “I wanted it to be self-updating, since I’m also a student.”
Reksopuro isn’t against data centers, but she thinks tech giants benefit from a lack of transparency around data center policies. “Right now, it’s this really opaque thing — and all of a sudden, there’s a facility,” she said. “I think that if people knew about data centers beforehand, it would give them leverage. They would be able to negotiate: ask for job training programs, tax revenue, environmental monitoring, things to improve their community.”
UCF commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield (University of Central Florida via Storyful)
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TOUGH CROWD: During a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida, a speaker was met with loud boos from the graduating class after declaring that artificial intelligence represents the next industrial revolution. Fox News Digital reporting captures this tense cultural moment, illustrating the mixed public sentiment and skepticism surrounding AI’s growing footprint in daily life.
A statue on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. (iStock)
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FBI Director Kash Patel listened as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference at the Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.
In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.
You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.
Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
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