February 12, 2026
$73 million stolen through banks: 5 lessons to learn to avoid fraud thumbnail
Business

$73 million stolen through banks: 5 lessons to learn to avoid fraud

20 years of imprisonment. Darren Lee was sentenced yesterday for laundering more than $73 million. But make no mistake: Lee is not behind bars. He took off his electronic bracelet in December 2025 and is now on the run. The money is gone. The culprit is nowhere to be found. The case attracted considerable attention because Lee did not simply use romance to […]”, — write: businessua.com.ua

20 years of imprisonment. Darren Lee was sentenced yesterday for laundering more than $73 million.

But make no mistake: Lee is not behind bars. He took off his electronic bracelet in December 2025 and is now on the run.

The money is gone. The culprit is nowhere to be found.

The case attracted a lot of attention because Lee didn’t just use romance to lure his victims into a trap. It exploited our deepest instincts to trust: the fear of computer viruses and the imagined the legitimacy of American banks.

Here is an analysis of this complex mechanism so that you never fall for its mistakes.

This article is brought to you by 21M ⭕, the crypto investing community behind 25% Club.

This article contains affiliate links that allow you to support the daily work of the Journal Du Coin teams.

Fraud Factory: This is not a lone wolf Forget the image of an isolated hacker in your room. A report by the US Department of Justice shows that Darren Lee was acting with real intentions “fraud centers in the Kingdom of Cambodia” .

These are not amateurs, but an organized industrial structure where workers follow precise scripts to psychologically manipulate thousands of victims.

Lesson: Your “magical” or “technical” interlocutor on the phone is not a friend. He is a cog in an international criminal organization. Against such an organization your intuition is not enough; only a cold, proven method will protect you.

Fear Attack: Fake “Tech Support” These scams often amount to a romanticized version of “pig slaughter.” At the same time, an important part of the report, which directly concerns prudent investors, is not taken into account.

Lee’s accomplices impersonated “customer service or technical support company” .

They contacted the victim claiming to have discovered a virus or a critical problem with the computer.

Under the pretext of “treating a non-existent virus”, they encouraged the victim to transfer their funds to ensure their safety.

Lesson: Scammers aren’t always trying to seduce you; sometimes they want to make you panic. Please note that no legitimate support service (Ledger, Metamask, Binance) never will not ask you to transfer funds to “fix a mistake”.

Attack of the “Evil Twins” (Parody) Lee’s victims did not send their money blindly. The case confirms that the network created “fake domains and websites that resembled legitimate cryptocurrency exchange platforms.”

In practice: you think you’re connecting to a recognized platform, you see official logos, the same interface… but the web address is one letter different. You see encouraging profit charts, but this is just a false reflection.

Lesson: the human eye is easily fooled. However, blockchain does not lie. At Club 25%, we learn to never trust the visual interface, but to verify the address of the smart contract. This is the only way to know if you are depositing to a legitimate protocol or a shell company.

The myth of the “safe bank” This should worry the skeptical investor who considers the traditional banking system to be an unshakable stronghold.

In order to gain the trust of victims, Lee did not ask them to immediately send money to little-known crypto wallets. He forced them to transfer funds to accounts in American banks, opened in the names of fictitious companies.

Through these “official” accounts, more than 59.8 million dollars .

Victims thought, “This is an American bank, it’s regulated, it’s safe.” It was actually just a money laundering operation before the money was converted to USDT and distributed.

Legal impasse: Why the police won’t save you The figure is terrifying: 73 million dollars were stolen. But the worst is yet to come for the victims.

Darren Lee has dual citizenship (China and St. Kitts and Nevis) and currently resides in the fugitive .

Reality for your funds: between funds passing through US shell companies run by an international fugitive from Cambodia…legal recovery is a maze with no way out for an individual. Once money is out of your control, it’s often too late.

Why this trap is impossible in our country Darren Lee’s scam is based on one principle: you should to send your money to a trusted third party.

Method “Club 25%” is based on the exact opposite: you keep the money .

Our strategy makes this type of fraud mechanically impossible for three reasons:

  • Zero transfer: Unlike Lee’s victims, you never entrust your funds to a “manager” or “support”. Your cryptocurrency remains in your registry. If you have the key, no one can make off with the money.
  • Checking against trust: We don’t invest based on a nice interface or a soothing voice on the phone. We publish comprehensive reports for each opportunity, focusing on the source of income.
  • Real profitability: We aim to earn 15 to 25% per annum on stablecoins with clear financial mechanisms, far from the magic and vague promises of scammers.

In cryptocurrency, you either control your keys and protocols, or you are the target.

👉 Join the 25% Club now

No votes yet.

Please wait…

Related posts

US added stronger than expected 130,000 jobs in January, with unemployment rate falling to 4.3%

unian ua

Putin is planning a new aggression outside of Ukraine.

unian ua

What to expect at CoinDesk’s Consensus Hong Kong 2026

unian ua

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More