Bali Tourist ‘Lost $14,000 In Crypto After Handing Phone To Woman Who Offered To Add Herself On Instagram’

ByMF Jones

A tourist in Bali claims to have lost $14,000 USD from his Phantom wallet after handing his unlocked phone to a woman who offered to add herself on Instagram.

The victim thought he had got lucky with this girl who was seemingly flirting with him at the beach club, but it was all just a sneaky ploy to drain his crypto wallet:

I’m a little dubious about this as I’m not sure how she managed to get into his crypto wallet without face ID or a password or two-factor authentication, but the accused woman does look panicked enough that you think he might be telling the truth. There does seem to be a lot of finger-pointing going on as to which blonde it was who pulled off the scam.

In a separate thread, the victim – a tourist from Peru – explained what happened:

I got robbed for 189 SOL (~$14,000) at a beach club in Bali.

What happened next sounded so unbelievable that if I hadn’t lived it myself, I probably wouldn’t believe it either.

The night ended with undercover intelligence officers, arrests, and a police interrogation.

Here’s exactly what happened.

I was at a beach club in Bali with a few friends. We were drinking, hanging out, and eventually they decided to head home. I wasn’t ready to leave, so I stayed.

I ended up talking to a group of Australian girls. We were all getting along, and after a while they asked if I’d buy everyone a round of shots. I did.

One round turned into several.

By the end of it I’d had around 6-7 shots and was definitely drunk.

Then one of the girls asked for my Instagram.

She took my phone to add herself. It was already unlocked, so I handed it over without thinking twice.

That was the biggest mistake of the night.

She had my phone longer than you’d normally need just to add someone on Instagram.

I couldn’t really see what she was doing.

Eventually she handed it back.

Almost immediately, another girl started talking to me while the rest casually got up and said they were going to the restroom.

A minute later, the girl sitting beside me stood up too and said she’d be right back.

Then they were all gone.

Something immediately felt off.

I opened my Phantom wallet…

189 SOL had just been transferred to a wallet I’d never interacted with before.

About $14,000… gone in seconds.

I called my friends immediately. They came back, we contacted the police, and I honestly thought that was the end of it.

Instead, around 8-12 undercover intelligence officers showed up.

Not regular patrol officers.

They spread out across nearby bars and clubs searching for the group.

Eventually one of the officers spotted them.

Instead of rushing in, they quietly took photos, coordinated over the radio, and waited until every officer was in position.

Then they all moved in at once.

The entire group was surrounded and taken into custody.

It honestly felt like I was watching a movie.

The people involved are now reportedly facing criminal charges and possible deportation.

I’m still out 189 SOL (~$14,000).

If you keep crypto on your phone, learn from my mistake.

Never hand an unlocked phone to someone you just met.

Not to add Instagram.

Not to take a photo.

Not for anything.

It only takes a few seconds to lose everything.

I guess maybe the Phantom wallet was already open on his phone? Who knows. Either way, good advice at the end there to never just hand over your phone to someone you’ve just met. Never know when an Aussie blonde at a beach bar in Bali is going to leave you high and dry.

For the gang that used a honey trap to lure a celebrity barber to London to steal £500,000 in crypto, only to find he had just £6.71 in his crypto accounts, click HERE.

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