Why Crypto Scams Are Driving an Online Crime Boom --And How to Outsmart Them

After two months, Tho Vu was infatuated. The 33-year-old customer service agent, living in Maryland, had met "Ze Zhao" through a dating app, and says she quickly began exchanging messages with him all day on WhatsApp. He seemed like someone she could rely on--he called her "little princess" and sent her reminders to drink enough water. By October 2021, despite never having met in person, they were talking about where to buy a house, how many kids to have, even how he hoped she'd do a home birth. "I want to take you with me when I do anything," he said, in messages seen by TIME.