KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Authorities have arrested 28-year-old Lee Poh for allegedly defrauding two men out of $850,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office charged Poh with fraud, theft by deception, and conspiracy to commit a financial crime. According to an arrest warrant, Poh reached out to the victims through the messaging app Telegram, promising large returns if they invested in his business.
Victims transferred significant amounts of cash, but when attempting to withdraw their supposed earnings through a website, they discovered it was fake. On July 31, Poh arranged a meeting to collect an additional $300,000 and was taken into custody upon arrival at a business near Maynardville Highway.
The sheriff’s office noted the scam was designed to look like a Bitcoin payout contingent on paying taxes upfront, duping multiple victims out of substantial sums before the investigation began.
Knox County detectives urge anyone with information about this or similar scams to contact law enforcement.
