Victims of Ponzi schemes might react in a variety of ways to their loss. They may seek recompense and justice, or community with other victims. In the case of OneCoin, the alleged Ponzi cryptocurrency scheme, it appears some prefer to lash out at other victims.
Jen McAdam, a 49 year old U.K. based cryptocurrency investor, went on BBC’s Cryptoqueen podcast to talk about her experience losing thousands to OneCoin. Listeners unhappy with her account of OneCoin’s history didn’t much like it, resorting to threats of sexual violence and death.
McAdam has reported these threats to the Police Scotland, saying:
It is horrible, the abuse is vile and the threats feel very real to me, I’m always looking over my shoulder now.
It is taking its toll on my health but I will not give up until me and the thousands of other OneCoin victims like me see some form of justice.
McAdam admits to losing £8,000 personally to OneCoin, but also to persuading family and friends to invest as much as £220,000. None of them are able to get their money back at this point. “I know through the different victims’ groups around the world that it is people just like me who are affected,” she said. “They invested their life savings, they remortgaged homes and they convinced their friends and family to get involved—and they feel as awful as I do about it all because we were all duped.”
OneCoin, despite many of its leaders facing prosecution or running from the law, continues to insist that they weren’t a Ponzi scheme. Despite their protestations, U.S. prosecutors are doing their best to get to the bottom of the case, going after Irish banks that may have helped the cryptocurrency project launder money.
That won’t do much to help McAdam with her harassers though. With comments like “Just know onecoin [sic] is real though genuine we have to go step by step to reach on the victory it’s no like other coins….”, it would appear that some investors feel threatened by her story, and still hold out hope that OneCoin will rally eventually.
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