Is an online friend who wants you to invest in crypto a scam?
Almost certainly yes. When someone you met online builds a relationship and then steers you toward a crypto or trading "opportunity," it is a pig-butchering scam designed to take everything you invest.
What it is
A long-con where a stranger befriends or romances you online over weeks, then guides you to a fake investment platform that shows fake profits to keep you sending more money.
How to spot it
Someone you never met in person introduces an investment or trading app.
A special website or app shows your balance "growing" quickly.
You're told to invest more to "unlock" or withdraw your gains.
You can never actually withdraw the money.
What to do
Stop sending money and don't invest more to "free up" a balance. Talk to someone you trust and report it to your credit union and to the authorities.
When in doubt, slow down. A real credit union, business, or agency is fine with you hanging up and calling back on a number you look up yourself.