Pennsylvania Man Loses Nearly $400K in Cryptocurrency Scam Starting from Online Chess Game
A Pennsylvania man lost nearly $400,000 in a cryptocurrency scam that began with an online game of chess.
Dave Martin met the person behind the scheme while playing on Chess.com in August 2025. The conversation started as a normal game but eventually moved to WhatsApp, where they continued talking for months without discussing money.
The woman described what sounded like a promising opportunity, an artificial intelligence-powered cryptocurrency trading platform, and Martin initially said no. However, after experiencing uncertainty with his job in November, he reconsidered, trusting the person he had been talking to for months.
He invested $5,000, but soon discovered that the website showed a pending order for about $40,000. The customer support and the woman told him the order was connected to an automated trading feature, requiring more money. Martin withdrew another $45,000, but the funds displayed on the screen were not freely withdrawable.
The scammer repeatedly asked Martin to send additional money, presenting some demands as fees or requirements for withdrawal. By the time he realized what had happened, nearly $400,000 was gone.