Why do people lose money so quickly in crypto? We decipher the 5 most common scams ( and how to avoid falling for them ).

Question

In the crypto ecosystem, new forms of theft emerge every day. It’s not paranoia, it’s reality. Recently, several colleagues lost their savings in a matter of minutes. Today we uncover how these scams operate so you won't be the next victim.

The 5 traps that always work

1. The fake USDT that looks real on the screen Scammers falsify USDT transfer screenshots. The worst part: they alter data on public explorers. A person made an OTC trade, received a “proof” of deposit, sent their BTC… but never found anything on the blockchain. The money simply did not exist.

2. The link that empties everything in 30 minutes They pretend to be support for imToken or TP Wallet. They send a link about “suspicious activity on your account.” One click and goodbye to your coins. This really happened: someone downloaded a fake TP installer, entered their private key, and lost everything in half an hour.

3. Cheap OTC that turns into theft “Direct transfer with a 0.95% discount”. They block you after receiving your money. Real case: someone lost 50,000 in that scam and even the platform couldn't recover it.

4. The movie yield: 1% daily Classic Ponzi scheme. They promise guaranteed profits. They disappear in 3 months. The truth: any “consistent” return is because they use new money to pay the old.

5. The “customer service” that pressures you “Your account is suspected of money laundering, transfer your coins to a safe account to unlock”. Question: Does any real exchange ask you to move money or share your private key? Answer: never.

5 moves to avoid being a victim

Hard verification: Don't trust screenshots. Check the hash on the blockchain. Screenshots can be edited, the blockchain cannot.

Trusted platforms: Pay 0.1% more in commission using large OTC markets. Worth every satoshi.

Don't click blindly: Manually type the URL. A typo is enough to fall into a trap.

Healthy distrust: If someone in OTC asks you for a “small test first” or presses to close quickly, something smells fishy.

Limited permissions: Before connecting a wallet to a DApp, check what it authorizes. Never grant unlimited transfer permissions.

The golden rule

Don't be greedy: if the market price is 6.9 and someone is selling at 6.5, it's either dirty money or it's a scam.

Don't be lazy: store your seed phrase on paper, never on your phone.

Don't be silent: if something smells suspicious to you, report it immediately. Scammers are only motivated by people who act.

The important thing in crypto is not to make 10x quickly. It is to survive. Share this with the newcomers in your circle. For every person you prevent from being scammed, there is one less scammer operating.