That Time When Scammers Almost Got Me!

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Avatar for Pantera
3 years ago

Scammers reading this will feel excitement but also disappointment.

"Aw, we almost got him! So close..."

A very possible reaction by them, if they ever read this article.

Well, to tell you the truth, it was very close.

I was just a click away from sending thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to scammers. Yes, this wasn't just going to be a small gamble but a huge mistake that would have cost me all my holdings back in 2017.

So scammers, rejoice! You almost got me, but I got lucky instead! You are going to read about the one time you almost got me and how I eventually didn't fall for your scam.

Of course, I don't recommend this article just to scammers! However, I am not going to give them any pointers or explain their mistakes either. Scammers, by reading this you are not going to get better at scamming!

The real target audience for this article is the honest people in crypto. Those that invest, those that work for crypto, and any crypto beginner. Even some more advanced crypto enthusiasts can find this information useful.

With our knowledge, we will together manage to reduce the menace of scamming from the CryptoVerse.

Jumping Straight to What Happened

Source: Piqsels (free download)

I found it on Youtube. It couldn't be anything else but a fake Ripple airdrop! Yes, these scams are running for many years with the same format.

Not a giveaway though, as at that time they were advertised as airdrops. I remember studying Ripple in 2017 and read somewhere about a plan for a huge airdrop of all those XRP that Ripple was still holding.

About 50 Billion XRP was supposed to be airdrop but the decision was delayed after the exit of Jed Mcaleb from Ripple.

As a beginner without any experience and any knowledge of how scams worked in Crypto, I was convinced this was the real deal.

I don't remember the exact details, but I am certain I visited a website that was on the links of that Youtube channel and the rest was the same old scam that was supposedly going to send us back double the coins after we first make the first deposit.

I visited the scam website and there was an address to deposit the XRP. Then I logged in to the exchange I was holding the crypto.

I owned BTC, ETH and XRP, at that time, and I was about to send all my XRP to the scammers address. (Later I felt completely brainwashed and clearly remember I was very tired when I found that fake airdrop. I was almost sleeping on my desk while watching YouTube. The worst possible timing to make any financial decision.)

I was saved by pure luck though. As I was getting ready to transfer my XRP investment to the hands of scammers, my phone rang. I just had to copy paste the address as I was already at the withdrawal page on my exchange.

It was a friend, on the phone, we discussed for like 10 minutes, and after that I decided to go outside and make some groceries.

I returned home an hour later, and when I sat on my desk again, I was facing the same screen, my exchange and on the browser the scammers website with the address of the XRP I was about to send one hour ago!

But now it was all different. It was the same page, but I was thinking more clearly.

I instantly recognized a trap, that an hour ago I was about to fall victim to.

It feels that I was hypnotized by the fake promises of doubling up my crypto wealth in just minutes. I've felt shame for my previous actions to not consider this was a scam.

I also think that this scam, while it was very simplistic and naive on its own, it was made this way to attract beginners. It was based on the fact that someone new might have read that Ripple was planning an airdrop, and why not, to try and claim this airdrop by sending XRP to the displayed address.

A ridiculous scam, that however seems to be working every single time.

See for example the millions of dollars collected by the Twitter hackers last year. They had all these high-profile Twitter accounts hacked, and promoted their fake BTC giveaway. For us that we have seen it all before, it looks like a ridiculous scam, but this is not the same for someone that hasn't seen how these scams work before.

So, there is the story.

I'm writing it to let scammers know how close they got to me, and in the end, it was luck that saved me. But I also managed to foil scammers' plans on too many occasions and notified whole communities how to avoid getting scammed.

It is Never the Victim's Fault

Source: Unsplash (by Denys Nevozhaia)

If you got scammed it is not your fault. The blame is 100% on the scammers.

Anyone entering the crypto world, is doing this for the money. And everyone has read many stories of getting rich quick. Although this is something we later learn is not so simple.

Calling a beginner idiot or greedy because they lost their money to a scam is an arrogant approach.

I instantly dismiss anyone that jumps to this conclussion immediately and tells to the people that got scammed that it was their fault.

  • i) Not it wasn't their fault, it was a mistake but the fault is on the scammer's side

  • ii) Everyone in crypto is ultra-greedy, calling anyone greedy in a negative way is so absurd.

  • iii) Anyone bashing and mocking the victim of a scam is a completely ignorant and unsophisticated person.

Being strict to a beginner to make them understand how to properly protect themselves is different from mocking them and this strategy could work.

Being friendly and underlying the importance of knowing the dangers they will certainly meet, this is the best approach that will have the best results.

Conclusion

Source of this image is a scammer webite (not going to mention url)

That's what I knew about when I invested in Crypto back in 2017.

But back then it was even worse than now. When I was trying to look for exchanges accepting euro, Kraken and Coinbase weren't the first options on google results.

Some shady exchanges appeared and I almost ended up sending my money in one that later exit scammed.

I've always been an open book about my experiences in crypto and have been trying to help by writing my articles as easy to comprehend as possible.

Becoming a crypto expert is mostly about understanding the code, something I will probably not learn in this lifetime, unless I get serious one day and put all effort into learning a programming language.

The developer's job is to code, perfect their code, debug, and perform upgrades to the code. They can explain but will have to do that in jargon, but most will not be able to understand.

I still remember the confusion in my first days while learning.

I was thinking that Bitcoin and the blockchain were one and the same. I understood P2P but didn't even understood most of the basics.

The people that were informing me back in 2017 were deep into Bitcoin since 2013. They were those that bought at $1,000, those that bought in 2014 at prices between $200-$400. A smaller part, some of the earlier investors were those that indeed knew what was going on.

If I was never scammed though, it wasn't because someone informed me. It was luck that helped me. Anybody that claims is too smart to get caught, makes a big mistake.

And any scammer that thinks he is intelligent, makes an even bigger mistake.

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Lead Image from Unsplash (by Clint Patterson)



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3 years ago

Comments

Well, seems to be a simple scam and I'm surprised that you even came so close to getting scammed. And thanks for sharing some details so other crypto users can be careful.

$ 0.00
User's avatar a2j
3 years ago

Thank God I have never fallen into that, I always have my counsellor who tells me here and there no.... I hope it never happens to me because I would die of pain.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

It is nice having someone to guide you. Unfortunately when I entered in crypto investing, I was completely alone. I had absolutely nobody in my circle that new anything about crypto and it was very difficult even to find an exchange that was accepting euro.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

It's always embarrassing when you get scammed - well, maybe just once, as I think you'd be really unlucky to be scammed more than once. We did, a few months back - it was a stupid Gum tree scam and I felt really stupid for falling for it. Now we just try not to talk about it. Lucky it wasn't that much!

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I still nevee forget the time that I got scammed too,I was fool not to realize that I give all the money I have in my pocket to scammer, but I still thankful that the money I have is not that big maybe it around 400 pesos only.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Got scammed too. I invested in an airdrop and bought tokens. Then the telegram pages were gone. Then the other one was a mining website..

$ 0.05
3 years ago

They have so many traps that it gets difficult. Each time we need to make good research and due diligence. When there is even one red flag, I'm not investing.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Well done on your friend calling and you going to get groceries! Yes if it seems to good to be true don't do it, and never send your crypto away. Am so glad you caught yourself in time. It is very easy to be scammed, they are devious so and so's.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I think we'll always be vulnerable to scams, some more than others. But scammers are always innovating in the ways of scamming. Calling someone an idiot for falling for a scam is arrogant stupidity. The other problem with scams is that victims are sometimes so embarrassed that they prefer not to report the scam.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I think this is also a mistake. Nobody needs to feel embarrassed since everyone has been scammed at least once in their life. The best way to deal with any scam, is to expose what happened to the rest. This way the chances of others getting scammed will be reduced.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Agree with you, but this is not always the case!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I wish there were more people who held the opinion that it's not the fault of the person who got scammed. Far too many people say, "How could they be so stupid it was obvious!" It is completely untrue. People end up being scammed for so many different reasons and at the end of the day it is ALWAYS the scammers fault.

A friend of mine who was new to crypto was told he needed to deposit R60 000 into a Luno account and then interest earning bla bla bla. Well, he did it and the first month they deposited R70 000 into his Luno account. This went on and on for almost 6 months. Next month...no deposit...the people were non-contactable and effectively they stole his R60 000 as well as any so-called profits. No matter how "legit" something sounds, I always go with the if it seems to good to be true it normally is.

So glad luck intervened for you!!

$ 0.06
3 years ago

I know that sometimes people may be naive. What this means that they should be exploited financially? Those that are accusing the victims are the stupid ones.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Right when pandemic hit, my partner got scammed. It was on the same principle that your crypto will double. I'm not exactly sure how it went but he only told me when he can't contact the person anymore after sending his money. It's around $2000 I think. That was money loaned from the bank and we just paid it all off last month. It was crazy!

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I was about to send them even more! I haven't read about any scams in crypto being a beginner. It is always these people that they target, but some times they will make more elaborate scams and try to extract big money even from experienced people.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Saved by the call indeed!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I don't understand.. I know nothing about Crypto but I'm familiar with the word "Scam". I believe, everybody believes that scammers never get success in their lives.

By the way, I'm a newbie, I have a question, is readcash accept any topic? Because crypto is new to me, I can't write a blog about crypto.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I'm sorry you don't understand. Is it the fake airdrop/giveaway part you didn't understand? Maybe I should write about this with more details.

-Yes, you can write about anything you want.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Ever since I have decided to buttress my investment with crypto I have learn to be extra careful , these scammers has no bounds actually there are great length to their deeds, I also learn alot now from your article, deep thought is pertinent to making decision.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I'm sorry but are you using a translator from your native language to english? Because translators have this problem, giving often synonyms that do not match with the meaning. Also, often they fail with grammar too often. Better not write in English if you don't understand English at all, because you will be writing very poor articles.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I'm not using what you think I use, if my grammar sound odd please correct me.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

It is mostly the words like "buttress" and "pertinent". I'm not sure if these are used correctly in these sentences. Maybe I'm wrong though.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I guess the sentences does convey any meaning? If yes, it serves the purpose I want then. I support my investment with crypto is the meaning to what typed, the function of Crypto there serve as a brace that keep my investment running. Thanks for your observation though.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Thank you for the pointers and reassurance. I hope these scammers would find better things to do instead of scamming newbies and all

$ 0.01
3 years ago

I don't think they want to change. These are low-life scumbags. They've learned to cheat and lie and will end in jail eventually.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Wow! I must say it is pure luck that you were prevented of being a victim of a scam! Imagine, that phone ringing just at the right time, then your random decision to buy grocery—everything just have to happen in place, and it made me laugh a bit..That was one stroke of luck!

I haven't been scammed yet, because I was so risk-averse (I think it's the right word LOL) meaning, I am just a scaredy cat when it comes to investing my current stuff to these pltforms.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I still remember about this from time to time and feel it was the universe trying to help me avoid getting scammed! Yes, I was really lucky in the beginning. That was just seconds away.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Hope someone would also give me a random call when I will be about to do some stupid stuff in the future. LOL.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Hahaha! This was something like divine intervention.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

I've been scammed before. A Ponzi style ... It makes me depress because I have to pay other people too.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Ponzis are the worst. Stay away, there will be people that got paid in the beginning, but this won't be you or me, ever. These will be just the friends and family paid.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I wasn't familiar before that's why I bacame a victim

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Back in the days when the ponzi Bitcoin miners were trending I did money in some even knowing it was a scam. I was early in most of them and made profit before they stopped paying. I avoid transferring crypto when dead asleep. Sent $500 BUSD from a BEP20 straight to an ERC-20 wallet and sent a good amount of Celo Gold to a wrong wallet and lost them. Being tired makes people vulnerable

$ 0.00
3 years ago

BEP20 you mean the wallets of the Binance Chain starting with bnb right? How was this possible? Binance chain allows this? Haven't used these tokens but only years ago and just a couple of times only.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Sent it from Metamask and it worked. I got them back from Celsius after about 2 months.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

There are lot of victims out there who do know who to report to and run to for help, how can this scammers be checkmate or blocked, there should be platform one can report to and that can trace the crypto down into their wallet and hodl it

$ 0.00
3 years ago

The wallets can be tracked but it is not so simple. If the amount it too much and the scammers made from multiple people, perhaps millions, only then the authorities will be interested. There are some platforms that tag wallets, but it is too much work to manually tag wallets. Also there are mixing services that hide the tracks. The top scammers get caught, the low life ones are probably getting away.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

That's true 👍thanks for the update

$ 0.00
3 years ago

No one is too smart to fall victim to a scam and scamming is so easy today that a simple click on a link can ruin one's investment.

I have never been scammed of crypto but I have seen my friends fall victim of it and it hurts me alot. I am glad you didn't fall victim of the stuff then, you are really lucky because you could have took that decision if the phone didn't ring.

I learned something from your post now and it is never be quick quick to make a decision that involves your crypto, try to review and possibly talk to people who have more knowledge about what you about going into.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Yes, this is what I've also learned after that experience. We need to slow down and not act in a rush. This is where the scammers are depending on.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Truly, patience can be very rewarding in situations like this

$ 0.00
3 years ago