The worst part about getting scammed is the shame you feel afterwards.

I had an “isolated learning” experience when it comes to crypto. Nobody wanted to hear about it, those who listened never believed in it and so on. I had a few online friends who were crypto enthusiasts and developers.

So, I couldn’t share it with anyone after the scam at that time. Well, that made me feel helpless. However, it was a great learning experience I wish never happens to me again or to anyone else.

Here’s a bit of a background:

I always felt I missed out on so many opportunities eversince I got into crypto (2018). I heard about airdrops only after they got over. Or, about an interesting new project after it went viral and the tokens reached its all-time-highs. I was late to understand how to “yield farm” in DeFi and so much more. Naturally, my determination to not miss the next-big-thing was strong!

And one fine day, it happened! I sent all my crypto to a scammer.

Here’s what happened: The Scam

I was working with a blockchain based project and was completely involved in it. It was an unexpected meeting with team and I was watching some YouTube videos just before that. As soon as the meeting got over, I switched to YouTube to continue watching the video.

There it was! An ad that had Vitalik Buterin or Charles talking, it was a live video. The text below reads “Get double your crypto in return for transferring your crypto to the given address” with two addresses: one for Ethereum and one for Cardano.

The catch line was “Offer ends in half an hour”.

I have never been this quick in my life to do anything else! I felt I finally got an opportunity, something that I felt I missed out on for a long time. I transferred all ADA (Cardano) coins I had to this wallet and just after I confirmed the transaction I realized what I did. I wrote to Binance to cancel the transaction but there was no luck. Nobody replied to my email.

Finally, I got the confirmation of my transaction and I felt horrible. The amount was not so big but the fact that someone got you that easy? That hurts!

Honestly, the scam-hangover hits you really hard. You go through a sea of emotions. Start to blame yourself and all the should haves and could haves… It was a tough night.

I remembered all the times I lectured people about being vigilant about scammy projects, coins and so much more. And there I was, sitting with all my coins successfully transferred to a scammer and asking a centralized exchange to cancel the transaction.

The Aftermath

My crypto circle in real life was close to zero. Either they didn’t believe it or heard and laughed off. So, it was just a few online friends whom I met through the blockchain communities.

So, there was no one who would have understood even if I told them.

Naturally, I googled and came across two Medium articles which helped me get over the emotional trauma.

Anyway, we learn through experiences, right? After that incident, I started to look for the scam video ads, banners, comments and chats. They were everywhere. I’m surprised how YouTube or any other centralized platforms allow those ads in the first place!

Here are a few tips to notice such scams.

Well, after this incident I didn’t buy any ADA for a long time. There was also a time period where I revenge traded to recover the loss. Later on I realized it was all a mind game and I overcame that feeling eventually.