UK couple Tony and Eloise Johnson became victims of a bitcoin fraud, which left them with significant debt of £45,000 ($55,900).

The con artists pretended to be affiliated with a well-known financial guru Martin Lewis, a respected financial journalist who educates millions about their consumer rights and strategies for saving money on television and his website, MoneySavingExpert. His image has been appropriated for use in a variety of deceptive con games as a means of providing legitimacy to fraudulent activities.

On March 9, Eloisa was browsing Facebook when she came across an advertisement that lured her in with the promise of increasing the value of her savings via bitcoin trading.

Eloisa clicked on the advertisement, which sent her to a website where she immediately started filling out the registration form. On the other hand, she was uncertain and had second thoughts. 

At that same time, an influential guy made touch with the 45-year-old woman and persuaded her to continue. Eloisa described what transpired, noting,

“I asked if it was legitimate, and he said yes because it was affiliated with Martin Lewis.”

As a result, the couple was left at a loss of £45,000 and the following debt, which made them realize the degree to which the scammers had manipulated them using their deceptive techniques.