Cryptocurrency broker Trade 1960 appears to be engaged in fraud against California consumers

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has received a complaint from at least one California resident regarding a crypto investment.

The victim was contacted on Instagram by “Stefanie Kammerman” who said she lived in Las Vegas. Stefanie directed the victim to buy Bitcoin and open a trading account with www.trade1960.com. But when he wanted to take some money out, Stefanie said he had to wait 6 months to withdraw. The victim then emailed www.support@trade1960.com and was told he needed to pay a broker fee of $3,500 in bitcoin. Now he wants his money back. The company operated a website at https://www.trade1960.com.

This appears to be what is commonly called an “Advance Fee scheme,” which can take many forms, as discussed here:  https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/advance-fee-schemes. This also appears to be what’s known as a Romance Scam, which is described here: https://dfpi.ca.gov/2022/05/20/romance-scams-and-crypto-assets-fact-or-fraud/

The DFPI urges consumers to exercise extreme caution before responding to any solicitation offering investment or financial services.  To check whether an investment or financial service provider is licensed in California, consumers may contact the Department for questions or inquiries at ask.dfpi@dfpi.ca.gov or call toll-free at (866) 275-2677.  If a consumer believes a person or company has violated state law or acted improperly regarding a consumer financial product or service, they may file a formal complaint with the DFPI at https://dfpi.ca.gov/file-a-complaint/.