Man Who Lost $22,000 In Cryptocurrency Scam: 'I Gave Him The Password'
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) — Three years ago Chris Dejrit says he was hit by a drunk driver, leaving him partially disabled.
Unable to work he says he invested what little money he had in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
"The returns are phenomenal," said Dejrit.
But when Dejrit says he was having problems buying a certain type of cryptocurrency he called what he thought was customer support.
"He needed access to my computer, so I gave him access to my computer and it was a big mistake. I gave him the password," said Dejrit.
He says within minutes his accounts that were worth $22,000 dwindled to less than $5.
"I said this is not right," said Dejrit.
Justin Newton is the CEO of Netki, which helps other companies that work in cryptocurrency. He warns investors to only interact with known support agents.
"Bring to it the same kind of caution, or same kind of skepticism that you would to any type of financial tool or investment," said Newton.
He says cryptocurrency can be a highly profitable investment. But also a risky one.
"While they have seen a lot of appreciation in value recently, people still shouldn't invest more in them than they can afford to lose," said Newton.
Dejrit says with his life savings now gone, he hopes other investors will learn from his mistake.
"Do not give out the code to nobody," said Dejrit. "Do not let nobody do remote access to your computer."
Dejrit has set up a GoFundMe site to raise funds to replenish the money he lost in the cryptocurrency scam.