Colorado Author Loses $160K in Sophisticated Romance and Crypto Scam
A Colorado man is speaking out after falling victim to a complex romance and cryptocurrency scam that cost him nearly $160,000, including his life savings and borrowed money from family. Josh Kern, a Colorado-based fantasy author with more than two dozen books to his name, says the scam began with what seemed like a promising connection on a dating app.
While writing his latest novel, Kern matched with a woman online and soon moved their conversations to WhatsApp. Early video calls with the woman convinced him she was genuine, avoiding the usual red flags of romance scammers. Over time, their conversations shifted to finances, and she introduced him to a cryptocurrency investment platform she claimed was delivering significant returns.
Starting with a $5,000 investment, Kern said he saw what looked like real profits. Encouraged by this—and the growing connection with the woman—he increased his investments over time to more than $20,000, and eventually over $100,000. It wasn’t until he attempted to withdraw funds that he discovered his account had been frozen. Shortly afterward, the woman disappeared.
Believing he had been scammed, Kern searched online for help and found what appeared to be a scam recovery service. Desperate to reclaim his money, he borrowed around $50,000 from his parents’ retirement fund to pay the recovery team—only to realize it, too, was a fake. The website vanished, and Kern was left with nothing.
“I lost everything,” he admitted, adding that the emotional toll was nearly as devastating as the financial one. Despite filing complaints with the FBI, the Colorado Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission, he has yet to receive a meaningful response.
Kern’s story highlights a growing national trend. According to the FBI, romance and investment scams are among the most commonly reported frauds in 2024, with Americans losing more than $672 million to romance scams and over $6.5 billion to investment fraud.
The FBI urges consumers to never send money to anyone they haven’t met in person, to verify identities with reverse image searches, and to be cautious of anyone who asks for financial help or personal information online.
For those affected, the following resources are available to report scams:
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Local law enforcement
Kern is now focused on rebuilding his life and paying back the money he borrowed from his parents. Though shaken, he hopes sharing his experience will prevent others from falling into similar traps.
