Description

Date of Incident Range: July 2025 – September 2025 Amount Lost: Approximately $400,000+ USD Suspected Entities/Individuals: • Alias Used: “Steph Lewis” (impersonating Steph A. Kliber) • Phone Number: 657-282-1013 • Platform/Website: DML Markets (cryptocurrency brokerage) • Crypto Exchange Used: Coinbase (for deposits/transactions) ? Overview of Events In July 2025, an individual identifying herself as “Steph Lewis” initially contacted me through Facebook Messenger. She referenced a comment I had made in a travel group regarding a trip to Glacier National Park and began a casual conversation centered around shared travel interests. After several days of friendly exchanges, we transitioned to SMS/iMessage using the number 657-282-1013. Shortly afterward, her Facebook account was disabled, which she attributed to being “hacked.” Over the following weeks and months, the relationship developed into discussions about investing and trading, particularly in cryptocurrency and FOREX markets. She introduced me to a trading platform called DML Markets, which she claimed to use successfully. Despite initial reservations about the platform’s legitimacy, I was persuaded through repeated reassurances and visible “profit” screenshots to make small test deposits via Coinbase, beginning with $1,000–$2,000, and eventually larger sums totaling over $375,000–$400,000 of my own funds. The scammer then claimed to deposit additional funds of her own ($130,000 + $75,000) into my DML Markets account to “help me reach higher trading tiers.” The platform appeared to show my balance exceeding $1.3 million after a series of purported trades in BTC, ETH, and Gold. ? Manipulative Investment Progression Throughout this time, “Steph Lewis” continually encouraged higher deposits, claiming that if I reached a $600,000 investment threshold, DML Markets would add a $120,000 bonus. She insisted that this was standard practice among brokerages. After I reached this milestone through combined “deposits,” I attempted to withdraw funds, but DML Markets rejected the request. Their customer service chat informed me that third-party deposits violated their regulations and that I would need to personally deposit an additional $205,000 from my Coinbase account to comply. My account was then frozen, with a warning that failure to meet this deposit would result in penalties and a lowered “credit score” within the platform. The scammer, posing as “Steph,” began pressuring and emotionally manipulating me to raise funds through loans, credit, or family assistance. When I could not, she claimed her own trading privileges were suspended and that both our accounts were penalized. ? Discovery of Fraud and Impersonation During this period, I performed a reverse image search of photos she had sent. One image contained an Instagram tag that led me to the real individual, revealing that her identity, photos, and personal details were fraudulently used to conduct the scam. I subsequently contacted the real Stephanie through Facebook Messenger to inform her of the impersonation and shared evidence, including three months of timestamped chat logs and photos. ? Actions Taken 1. Ceased all communication with the scammer after confirming impersonation and fraudulent activity. 2. Contacted DML Markets customer service via chat multiple times—no substantive response despite “read receipts.” 3. Collected and preserved all evidence, including text messages, screenshots, wallet addresses, transaction IDs, and correspondence with DML Markets support. 4. Notified the real victim of identity theft (“real Stephanie”) of the impersonation. 5. Preparing reports to relevant authorities, including: • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – online investor complaint form • Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – whistleblower/tip submission • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – ReportFraud.ftc.gov • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – complaint submission portal • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) – investor complaint • State Securities Regulator and Attorney General – state-level complaint ? Summary of Alleged Fraudulent Conduct • Nature of Scam: “Pig Butchering” (romance/investment hybrid fraud) • Fraud Techniques: Emotional manipulation, social engineering, fake investment platform, fabricated profits, withdrawal restrictions, and impersonation of real person. • Approximate Loss: $400,000+ (personal funds, 401K withdrawal, and crypto deposits) • Primary Platform Used: DML Markets (non-regulated brokerage, likely offshore) • Associated Exchange: Coinbase (used to fund deposits)