DENVER – Allan Peschke recently started attending MSU -Denver and is looking for a remote job to accommodate his schedule as a student, husband and father. She posted her resume on Linkedin and Indeed, and within a few weeks, she got a job offer.
“I got this email from a company called Avena,” Peschke said. “It looks legit. He has a website, an email domain done with the company name. I’m looking for his address, it’s a big skyscraper in Florida.”
After a successful screening process, the company told Peschke that he was being recruited.
“My role will be to be a distant investor who buys cryptocurrency and sells cryptocurrency,” Peschke said.
In the beginning, everything looked good.
“He gave me an account number, a route number that claimed to be a working account for me that would be put on hold,” Peschke said.
The company then sends the money to Peschke’s bank account.
“We’re talking thousands of dollars,” Peschke said. “I see money coming into my account with whatever is in there.”
Peschke was then ordered to buy bitcoin with the money and send it to the company’s cryptocurrency wallet.
A few days later, he saw something was wrong with his bank account.
“I was on my way to school and I opened a Bank of America application, and I realized that I owed $ 7,500,” Peschke said.
A few days later, he learned that the debt was $ 18,000. As a result, the bank withheld student loans deposited in the account.
“I had to pull all my 401k to cover the rent over the last few months. I had to donate plasma,” Peschke said.
Former FBI special agent Roman Garcia said this type of fraud is sophisticated and organized.
“These people tend to be a step ahead of law enforcement,” Garcia said. “He’s always evolving, he’s always learning.”
Joshua Ross, director of entrepreneurship at the University of Denver, said it wouldn’t be a problem if scammers monitor Colorado and learn about a crypto -friendly culture.
“Colorado is the first state to actually accept crypto to pay taxes and other fees,” Ross said.
It’s just the beginning where Governor Jared Police wants to take over Colorado by making it the most crypto -friendly state in the country.
“Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are growing,” Ross said. “There’s fraud. There will be scam artists trying to take advantage of unsuspecting people, so you have to know how it works and what the risks are if you get involved.”
For Peschke, this is a lesson learned $ 18,000 late.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Peschke said.
