A resident of Scotland’s county Lanarkshire was left with a £150,000 debt (almost $190,000) after falling victim to a cryptocurrency fraud. She is now forced to sell her home to avoid additional financial issues.

The woman sought support from Advice Direct Scotland and the local police, but the entities could not help her retrieve the funds.

‘It’s Absolutely Horrific’

Jennifer decided to invest her money into a crypto scheme after seeing a dubious advert on Facebook featuring the advice expert Martin Lewis.

“Martin Lewis was exactly why I looked at investing,” she explained.

The British journalist is the creator of a website that gives advice on money-saving techniques. He has also been a vocal advocate against fraudsters who have used his image in the past.

However, Jennifer believed in the legitimacy of the project and put in nearly $190,000 at the beginning of the year via Revolut. After investing for ten days in a row, her bank started blocking some of the transfers, making her doubt that something was wrong.

Jennifer felt “devastated” when realizing that she was caught in the web of crypto scammers. She also said her outstanding debt was so high that she had to sell her home to avoid further financial problems:

“I’ve never been in debt in my life, I’ve never taken out a loan in my life, I’ve never had a credit card bill. I can’t actually quite believe what’s happened to me, it’s absolutely horrific. It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am, and the thought of losing this home, obviously for the sake of my children, is horrific.”