Taiwanese Influencer Kidnapped! $170,000 Stolen, Full History of Forex Trading Fund Scams Exposed

A Taiwanese crypto influencer who transitioned from a gaming streamer to a “forex trader” was kidnapped and forced to transfer $170,000 in cryptocurrency. The perpetrators approached him under the pretense of exchanging trading experiences. After meeting, they lured him to a parking lot, where two accomplices jumped out from the bushes, struck his head, sprayed him with pepper spray, and forcibly took him to the suburbs. He was compelled to liquidate all his exchange holdings into USDT and transfer them out. Netizens uncovered that three years ago, this influencer promoted an investment scheme promising “90% monthly returns,” and the project team later absconded with investor funds.

Starbucks Meetup Turns Into Kidnapping Trap, Influencer Loses $170,000

The crypto influencer shared his kidnapping experience on Instagram. He stated that the perpetrator was a long-time viewer who used the excuse of wanting to discuss forex trading strategies to get close to him. They met at a Starbucks near his home for nearly an hour, with the atmosphere seemingly friendly, but the perpetrator had premeditated the crime. Using the excuse of having a gift from Japan, the perpetrator lured him to the parking lot, where two accomplices leapt out from the bushes, struck him on the head, sprayed him with pepper spray, and forcibly shoved him into a car.

This modus operandi shows careful planning by the criminal group. Building trust over time lowered the victim’s guard, while choosing a public place like Starbucks for the meeting made the victim feel safe. The parking lot was a carefully selected crime scene—hidden but convenient for a quick escape. The accomplices hiding in the bushes indicate advance scouting and ambush, displaying all the characteristics of a professional criminal gang.

He said the kidnappers tied his hands with zip ties, blindfolded him with tape, and took him to the outskirts, where they forced him to sell all his exchange spot holdings, convert them to USDT, and transfer them out, ultimately emptying his account. The kidnappers’ familiarity with crypto trading was alarming—they knew how to operate the exchange, convert spot assets to stablecoins, and transfer funds quickly. This level of expertise suggests they may have been crypto insiders or had conducted thorough prior research.

Afterward, the kidnappers dumped him at Taoyuan Airport. Choosing an airport as the drop-off point might have been to confuse investigators, as airports are crowded and have more surveillance blind spots. The victim immediately retained a lawyer and reported to the police, also seeking help from a legislator. Domestic media reported that after being forced to transfer NT$90,000 from his bankbook and about 170,000 USDT in cryptocurrency, two suspects were apprehended within 24 hours, while one remains at large.

90% Monthly Return—Ponzi Scheme History Uncovered by Community

Unexpectedly, netizens dug up the influencer’s history of promoting Ponzi schemes. He started as a gaming streamer, playing titles like Arena of Valor and Slam Dunk, then moved into crypto, forex trading, and Texas Hold’em content. Such career shifts from gaming to financial investment are not rare among influencers, but the drastic change has raised doubts among some followers.

At the time, the influencer promoted a scheme claiming that simply depositing money for 60 days would yield a 90% monthly return. Such returns are completely unsustainable by financial standards. For comparison, Warren Buffett’s long-term annualized returns are about 20%, already considered legendary. A 90% monthly return would mean annualized returns of thousands or tens of thousands of percent—numbers only found in Ponzi schemes.

As expected, the project collapsed after a round of fundraising, with the operators absconding. Typical Ponzi operations use new investors’ money to pay early participants, creating the illusion of real operation. Once the number of investors peaks and new funds dry up, the operators shut down and disappear with the money. Such scams are rampant in both crypto and forex circles.

Five Classic Signs of Ponzi Schemes

Unrealistic high returns: Promises like 90% monthly returns that defy economic logic

Pyramid recruitment: Encourages investors to recruit others, forming a pyramid structure

Opaque investments: Unable to clearly explain where the funds are actually invested

Withdrawal restrictions: Complicated withdrawal rules and high fees

Sudden disappearance: The operators vanish after collecting enough funds, leaving investors with nothing

Streamer Hua Zhiyuan even revealed that the influencer managed both a large and a small group. After discovering issues with the project, he only told the small group, seemingly intent on harvesting fans from the larger group. This double standard makes the behavior even worse, showing he was not simply a deceived victim, but knowingly withheld information from most trusting fans.

The influencer gave up on explaining and commented: “It’s fine, nothing to explain, I just made money. I played for four months—hard not to profit. I never said I was scammed, that would be lame.” This arrogant response provoked even more backlash. Later, he posted a video admitting it was a mistake to promote such a project but denied some of the accusations.

The Price of Flaunting Wealth and the Bloody Lesson of “Keep a Low Profile”

In June, the influencer posted a video revealing that his monthly exchange rebate was only $250 and disclosed he had about $250,000 in assets on the exchange. Perhaps because of his crypto influencer persona and public face, he became a target for criminals. This case is a warning to all crypto holders: keep a low profile—your personal safety comes first.

Publicly revealing $250,000 in crypto holdings is essentially telling potential criminals, “I’m a worthwhile target.” Unlike traditional assets, crypto can be quickly transferred under duress and is hard to recover. Once the victim is under control, kidnappers can complete the transfer in minutes, whereas bank accounts at least have transfer limits and risk controls.

Any displays of wealth should be viewed with skepticism. A TikTok finance influencer with over 40,000 followers was recently kidnapped by four people on the way home, but when they opened his exchange account, they found he was poorer than the kidnappers, which saved his life. While darkly humorous, this reversal highlights a harsh reality: flaunted wealth on social media is often fake, and those who believe it may pay with their lives.

This incident also highlights the complexity of the crypto influencer ecosystem. Many influencers profit by promoting projects, accepting sponsorships, or earning exchange rebates, but the quality of projects they recommend varies greatly. When influencers promote obviously unreasonable high-yield projects for sponsorship fees, they are actually exploiting their fans’ trust. Such behavior can be morally and legally questionable.

Five Security Principles for Crypto Asset Holders

Keep a low profile: Never publicly reveal your portfolio size or exchange holdings

Be wary of strangers: Stay alert to “fans” who approach you, avoid meeting alone

Diversify storage: Don’t keep all assets on one exchange, use cold wallets to spread risk

Enable multi-factor authentication: Always use 2FA and withdrawal whitelists on exchanges

Act discreetly: Avoid flaunting wealth and overexposing personal info on social media

On a broader level, this case exposes multiple issues in the crypto ecosystem: rampant Ponzi scams, lack of oversight for influencer promotions, insufficient investor risk awareness, and personal security risks for crypto holders. Addressing these problems requires joint efforts from regulators, platforms, and investors.

For investors, the lessons are twofold. First, don’t trust influencer endorsements of high-yield projects—90% monthly returns are a clear red flag for scams. Second, even if you do profit from crypto investments, keep a low profile to avoid becoming a target. Financial freedom is important, but personal safety comes first.