BlockBeats report: On March 20, according to Business Insider, 80-year-old New York investor George Chryssanthou fell victim to a phishing scam, losing approximately $285,000. The scammers gained remote access to his computer by impersonating Microsoft technical support staff and tricked him into making multiple wire transfers to a Coinbase account during January 2025, after which the funds were converted into Bitcoin and transferred away.
The victim has filed a negligence claim against Charles Schwab with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), alleging that the brokerage failed to identify and prevent these unusual high-frequency, large-dollar transfers. The fraud involved a total amount of $284,650, with individual transfers ranging from $18,000 to $90,000.