A woman in Hanoi lost VND5.4 billion (US$219,250) in just five days after dating a man on the dating app Tinder and buying cryptocurrency under his direction, police said on Wednesday.

The man introduced himself to the woman, identified as T., as a doctor who is working in Singapore.

He egged her on to buy cryptocurrency and used her naivety to swindle her out of the money.

Police in Hanoi said that the municipal division of cybersecurity and hi-tech crime prevention is clarifying a report of a crypto scam made by the woman in early March.

T. recounted that the man encouraged her to invest in cryptocurrency after gaining her trust.

She admitted that she spent VND20 million ($808.4) on crypto, and cashed out VND30 million ($1,212) in return for the first time.

She continued to buy crypto worth VND266 million ($10,750) and withdrew VND304 million ($12,290) from it.

After her two investments, she gained a combined profit of VND48 million ($1,940) in two days.

She then bought VND300 million ($12,140) worth of crypto, and received an announcement that her account ‘won VND10.1 billion [$409,250],’ yet she could not cash out, she said.

She was then asked by the crypto platform to submit VND1.7 billion ($68,820) in personal income taxes, VND2 billion ($80,900) for account authentication, and VND1.4 billion ($57,390) for quick withdrawal so that she could get the money she had 'won.'

After paying these required amounts of money, she still failed to withdraw her winning money.

T. realized that she had been defrauded and reported the scam to police.

To thwart online scams, Hanoi police recommend that residents exercise heightened vigilance when using international dating apps.

They should not spend money on financial investment apps or international exchanges that are introduced to offer high interest rates, said police officers.

People who are scammed online should report their cases to police as soon as possible.

Hanoi police underlined that scammers often trick their ‘prey’ on dating apps such as Tinder, EzMatch, Litmatch, and Hullo.

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