8 hours ago
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A retired Bellevue couple lost their retirement savings in an online cryptocurrency investment scheme. Though embarrassed, they are coming forward to warn others.
Nick and Mary Pat Guerrier sold Drizzles Bakery in Bellevue and retired to South Carolina, where they had planned to stay — until the losses changed their plans.
“We’ve made up our mind to move back to Nebraska,” Nick Guerrier said.
$500,000 lost to AI investment firm
Nick thought he needed a larger nest egg before returning, so he invested $310,000 with an online artificial intelligence development firm using cryptocurrency called Starpronto Prosperity Group.
“This was so sophisticated and they had all the bells and whistles on their website,” he said.
He did not see red flags until the firm demanded an additional $200,000 before he could withdraw his investment with earnings. After paying $500,000 total, his account showed zero.
“Devastating. I mean, my insides just felt upside down,” Guerrier said.
FBI seizes investment website
Concerned about the sudden drop in his investment, Nick went online and clicked the link for the investment group — and found a notice that the website had been seized by the FBI.
An FBI spokesperson told reporter Mike McKnight that the Montana field office and U.S. Attorney seized the website as part of an ongoing investigation.
Douglas County fraud detective warns of similar schemes
Douglas County Sheriff’s fraud detective Mike DeChellis has investigated similar cases, though he is not on the Guerrier case.
“Fake investment websites have invested a lot of time and effort into their scam, and so they go after people with assets. So we tend to see losses in the high hundreds of thousands up into the millions,” DeChellis said.
The website seizure, he said, serves a purpose beyond this case.
“It prevents the people using this website from victimizing other people,” DeChellis said.
Couple hopes their loss protects others
The Guerriers say their experience could save someone else’s life savings.
“Then call somebody who works in the field and have a conversation with them and let them check it out before you go into it,” Mary Pat Guerrier said.
The couple told their daughter and son-in-law in Omaha that they feel like targets of what is known as a “pig butchering scam.”
The Guerriers’ Nebraska family has set up a GoFundMe to help them in retirement. Their daughter, Ashleigh Reeker, said the focus now is on moving forward.
“Let’s not add any more guilt or shame to this situation. How do we help stand with them and get them moving forward. Now our focus is them coming back to Omaha,” Reeker said.
To donate to the Guerrier family GoFundMe, visit: gofund.me/dc1f46fa8
Fraud investigators offer tips before you invest
First Alert 6’s message to Starpronto Prosperity Group was not answered. Douglas County fraud investigators offer the following guidance before investing in offers promising high returns:
- Research the company online and with phone calls to financial advisors you know personally.
- The Better Business Bureau can also identify red flags.
- Do not feel intrusive by asking senior family members about any large investments they have made or plan to make.
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