A woman who fell victim to a scam using Elon Musk's name ended up losing £9,000 ($12,642) in savings, saying the incident has left her feeling 'utterly depressed'.
Julie Bushnell, a teacher from Brighton, fell for a Bitcoin scam online, which was posted on a fraud website made to look like the BBC.
It used the name of Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk to lure people in, suggesting people would be able to double their money in a cryptocurrency giveaway.
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Bushnell, who is an investor in cryptocurrency, saw the website claiming Musk would pay back double the sum of any Bitcoin payment, and paid £9,000 - which she had saved up for a deposit on a new home.
She tried to disable her bank account, but it was too late.
Speaking to The Argus, Bushnell said she wished she could go back in a 'time machine' to undo what happened.
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She said: "I stayed up all night searching the internet of ways in which I could get this money back.
"I tried to sleep but couldn't as I was having constant panic attacks and couldn't stop shaking and crying.
"I then reported it to my bank, Lloyds who said they couldn't help.
"I then contacted the Sussex Police and Action Fraud who both took details of what had happened and complied reports which have been sent to the national fraud intelligence bureau.
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"This whole ordeal has left me feeling totally and utterly depressed and emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted.
"I can't eat or sleep properly and I keep crying while at work and running off to the toilets during the day and breaking down in floods of tears feeling ashamed and embarrassed of what has happened."
The BBC said it was taking action to have the site closed down, with a statement adding: "We urge people to check the veracity of [websites] and not to supply any personal information."
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Bushnell added: "I want to raise awareness of this scam so it doesn't happen to other vulnerable people, otherwise they will end up like me, feeling embarrassed, worthless, helpless and psychologically robbed and abused.
"These scammers have robbed me of my deposit for my mortgage, our future home for my family.
"They have robbed me of my dignity, self respect, self worth and strength, they have sucked all the goodness of life out of me."
According to the BBC, the fake site is still currently online.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Bitcoin, elon musk, UK News, News, Cryptocurrency