Has anyone heard of PKEK Crypto Exchange? There's nothing online about it=Weird.

[CryptoJoe#9]

Hi, I'm new to the forum,
     I met someone who seemed to know a lot about crypto that suggested I install an app to connect me to a crypto exchange called PKEK. I think it was from PKEK.io. I put it on my backup iPhone & it looks pretty cool. My friend says it's a small exchange from Singapore. The strange thing is I've googled & duck-duck-goed the hell out of "PKEK" & can't find anything about it. How can anything you can install on an iPhone have Zero info about it on the "Inter-Webs"? It's very strange. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it.
Thanks!

[1714519538]

1714519538

[LoyceV]

I met someone who seemed to know a lot about crypto that suggested I install an app to connect me to a crypto exchange

This sounds a lot like a common scam. Someone recommends something, you get fake profits after depositing, in a few months it will show you "have" $80k, and if you want to withdraw you'll have to deposit $8k first "to pay taxes". It's a scam. Don't fall for that, there are enough reputable exchanges out there.
Note: I know nothing about PKEK. But I see no reason for any Newbie to use an unknown exchange, it's not worth the risk.

I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it.

When in doubt: don't install it, and don't use it.

[NotATether]

I have not heard of PKEK exchange either, anywhere.

Does this "guy who knows a lot about crypto" contact you from Whatsapp or Telegram or Discord? All these platforms have lots of scammers waiting to start conversations with people.

[Lucius]

~snip~
The strange thing is I've googled & duck-duck-goed the hell out of "PKEK" & can't find anything about it. How can anything you can install on an iPhone have Zero info about it on the "Inter-Webs"? It's very strange. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it.
Thanks!

The answer is very simple, and it's about the fact that the app you installed is something that is not publicly available, but it's about an app that spreads privately in the way that it happened to you. The first advice I have for you is not to communicate with complete strangers via social networks, and especially not with those who "know something about crypto" and want to help you.

Another tip is to delete that app and hope it doesn't leave anything malicious behind.

[Rikafip]

How can anything you can install on an iPhone have Zero info about it on the "Inter-Webs"? It's very strange. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it.

Because its obviously a small scammy app that is laying low and trying to lure people into using it by contacting them directly. Out of curiosity I checked tha Apple store but coulnd't find the "PKEK" app so I guess they sent you the download link?

By the way, is that "friend" you met maybe a girl that contacted you via one of those dating apps, as that's the common scamming tactic?

[dkbit98]

This sounds like another cheap scam, so better to stay away from this.
All I could find about Pkex exchange is link to coincorp website with two domains (.cc and .com), but both of them are down and this ''exchange'' have no volume.
They have a twitter account that is still active, but they didn't post anything for years since July 2020.
https://www.coincarp.com/exchange/pkex/

[sokani]

Whoever introduced you to Pkek is a wolf in sheep clothing and the exchange is obviously fake. There are so many cases on the internet of people getting scammed through this method. These scammers act all nice and friendly, they later introduced you to an investment platform with high yields. After you must have deposited your funds, you won't be able to withdraw it and you would lose your money.

If you want to invest in any crypto asset, here's a list of top exchanges by coinmarketcap ranking:
https://coinmarketcap.com/rankings/exchanges/

[Darker45]

I haven't heard about it either.

But there's actually nothing weird about this. There are countless of crypto exchanges out there, most of them unheard of and unknown.

What's actually weird is when somebody recommends it. And what's probably weirder is when somebody else would take the recommendation despite not finding anything about it online.

The crypto world is a strange world. There are exchanges bragging about millions of users and billions in trade volume when they're even unheard of. There are investment opportunities which offer magical ROI. There are funds freely given away but with the condition that you need to deposit first. There are so many strange things in this environment. You need to be circumspect in your dealings.

[CryptoJoe#9]

Hi,
      First I want to thank you all for so actively & quickly replying to my post. I didn't expect so many replies. It's funny you all have a large part of the story right. I always kinda knew this was all BS but it was fun at first. The "friend" is a hot Singaporean girl living in LA. She texted me & I played along. I even told a friend "hey I'm getting cat-fished, hahaha".  We traded pics & even did some Video Chats. You were right she quickly changed our conversations over to WhatsApp. I still thought the whole thing was odd. Then we talked about crypto. She seemed very educated on the subject. She said I should download this app PKEK to use as a trading app.  So you are right she sent me a link to it. It wasn't on the app store.  Somehow I was able to use it online or from an app on my phone. She told me her rich uncle had a staff that could predict a window when BTC would go up or down. We could do 30 second bids on Buy High or Low-price trades & get as much as a 20% return.

I decided to play along & put a couple hundred $ worth of ETH on the platform. And (not surprisingly) it worked. Then I worked again & again. Like an idiot, I started to hope maybe this was real. Within 3 months the balance was up to $50k!!! I was able to withdraw $300, $200 & $1100. So I thought it might be real. I probably put a couple $1000 worth of BTC & ETH in the system. I never put any real cash in the game!!! I was riding the profit wave of my stored Crypto & felt comfortable enough to risk some of the recent gains on this scam. But when I tried to pull out the amount I had invested & leave behind the amount she had made for me, everything changed. The Online support team said since I had made withdrawals & deposits from 2 or more IP Addresses they would have to place a hold on my account & run an audit.

As described in a reply, I had to deposit more crypto $ using my primary IP address so they could run the review, otherwise, they might freeze the account. Like an idiot, I thought why not risk a little more in hopes of gaining access to the $50K which was waaaay more than I'd risked at this point. So far it's been 5 days & no word about my review. The funds say they are still there. I'm not locked out or anything. But here is the weird part. Maybe you all can find the angle they are trying to play.

She (who acts pure & innocent as snow) started nagging me to add $300K to the balance!!! I had to tell her several times I could no sooner come up with $300K as $300 Million. I mean come on that's a crazy leap. She sends pictures as if she's incredibly wealthy from her rich uncle. It's a weird scam when the scammer acts as if they have waaaay more $ than you. So she claims that at the $300K level we can make 60 second bids on the exchange & get 30-40% returns. That sounded amazing, but who cares, I will never have $300K in cash & if I did I wouldn't be doing these schemes. So here's where we are now. She wants to send my PKEK account $250K worth of ETH. That plus the $50k in there now puts the balance at $300K. She wants me to be able to do the 60-second bids.
-So where is the angle? If she send me the $250K in ETH how can that backfire on me?
-Why would she encourage me to make moe fake $$? She knows I'm not putting any more in.
The only thing I can think of is, I put her $$ in my PKEK account. Then they claim there is a problem & I have to pay to free the account again. I tell them to bite me & she gets "mad" I got her money taken. But since it's all fake $$ anyway, I don't see the angle unless I pay more, which I absolutely won't.

It's a very weird scam when someone is saying "please please take my $250K in ETH". I told her I didn't feel comfortable doing it while my account was under audit.  Then just to test her willingness to really send me the ETH, I offered her to send it to my Cold storage account. Then I could deposit it in PKEK after the audit. She decided we could wait until after the audit....of course. Well, that is where we have left things. Now you see why I wanted to get some advice...which I should have done 3 months ago. Sorry this ran long. I hope maybe someone reads this & stops themselves before they go too far into the lie.
Thanks for listening & your feedback!!

[LoyceV]

The "friend" is a hot Singaporean girl living in LA.

Lol. I guess you learned a valuable life lesson. It's a textbook scam.

She texted me & I played along.

Playing along to keep a scammer busy is one thing. Sending them money is not "playing along", that is getting scammed!

She told me her rich uncle had a staff that could predict a window when BTC would go up or down.

It's amazing how gullible people are.

I decided to play along & put a couple hundred $ worth of ETH on the platform.

You decided to get scammed?

the balance was up to $50k!!! I was able to withdraw $300, $200 & $1100.

Being able to withdraw only 2% didn't ring a bell?

I probably put a couple $1000 worth of BTC & ETH in the system. I never put any real cash in the game!!!

You couldn't be more wrong. Bitcoin is real money!

As described in a reply, I had to deposit more crypto $ using my primary IP address so they could run the review, otherwise, they might freeze the account.

When I first saw your topic, I thought you were asking about this scam before sending them money, but apparently you fell all the way in already.

I'm not locked out or anything. But here is the weird part. Maybe you all can find the angle they are trying to play.

It's easy: not your keys, not your coins. You have access to an account made by a scammer, that means nothing.

-So where is the angle? If she send me the $250K in ETH how can that backfire on me?
-Why would she encourage me to make moe fake $$? She knows I'm not putting any more in.

You're a horny fool who fell right into their trap from the beginning. Of course they try to shake you for more money and they will try to bleed you dry to the very last satoshi you own.

It's a very weird scam when someone is saying "please please take my $250K in ETH".

A random victim has a very small chance of falling for their trap, You've proven to be a great victim who plays along willingly, and you've proven to easily send your money. That $250k doesn't exist, a number in a scammer's app means nothing. It's just to make you more greedy so you'll risk even more money.

Now you see why I wanted to get some advice...

I'll give you some advice: delete that app, wipe the phone, take your losses, lick your wounds, and forget about this "hot girl". You know the one you're chatting to is an ugly dude, right? You may have seen pictures of a girl, and they may even have hired her for a video chat, but come on, let reality sink in!

[NotATether]

I'll give you some advice: delete that app, wipe the phone, take your losses, lick your wounds, and forget about this "hot girl". You know the one you're chatting to is an ugly dude, right? You may have seen pictures of a girl, and they may even have hired her for a video chat, but come on, let reality sink in!

It could also be a trafficked slave. Especially in southeast Asia (I'm pretty sure our fellow bitcoiners from that area can tell us more about it) it is very common for women to get trafficked into large rooms and be essentially forced by a few guys to conduct these kinds of scams to unsuspecting gullibles like the OP.

The majority of this money actually goes to the guys running this whole operation.

[LoyceV]

It could also be a trafficked slave.

I've read that too indeed. This isn't just an innocent scam, it's most likely a network of organized crime.

[rat03gopoh]

It could also be a trafficked slave. Especially in southeast Asia

Yeah, slavery for inter-state fraud still occurs among foreign workers in this region, they mainly look for victims from the slave's country of origin.
And I doubt the real place the woman OP is talking about is LA.

[dkbit98]

Now you see why I wanted to get some advice...which I should have done 3 months ago. Sorry this ran long. I hope maybe someone reads this & stops themselves before they go too far into the lie.
Thanks for listening & your feedback!!

Hey man sorry to hear about this and for your losses, but I have to tell you that is the standard script scammers are using with fake bitcoininvestment apps
I watched one documentary (can't remember the name) a while ago and they also used girls who milked man for more money and it all started as a romance with same story you told us.
Youtube channel Catfished also has many similar cases, you won't believe what people are doing all the time to get money.
Better watch out for any messages and calls from unknown people on social media, telegram, whatsapp, etc.

[Lucius]

It could also be a trafficked slave. Especially in southeast Asia (I'm pretty sure our fellow bitcoiners from that area can tell us more about it) it is very common for women to get trafficked into large rooms and be essentially forced by a few guys to conduct these kinds of scams to unsuspecting gullibles like the OP.

The majority of this money actually goes to the guys running this whole operation.

It's not only women, but also men, and in that part of the world modern slavery is in full bloom, especially since cryptocurrencies have enabled a much greater degree of anonymity than was previously the case with banks. I don't know what the punishments are for those caught in the organization of such slave farms, but if you asked me, they would never see the light of day again - solitary confinement for life.


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