In late 2022, I stumbled upon a brand-new crypto project while browsing a Reddit thread. The project was called SolarArk Token, claiming to be an energy-based crypto utility focused on renewable resources. The whitepaper looked sleek, the roadmap seemed realistic, and what really got me hooked was how active and hyped the community was on social media. People were constantly posting screenshots of their returns, and the devs were regularly engaging in AMAs and giveaways. Everything about it felt exciting—too exciting in hindsight.

I invested $2,000, which for me was a big amount. It was money I had saved for a new laptop, but I figured this investment could potentially double or even triple in a few months. The project launched on a decentralized exchange and the price shot up immediately. At one point, my portfolio showed $4,800, and I genuinely believed I was on my way to early retirement.

But things took a turn. Within a month, the devs stopped engaging. Their Telegram group became filled with complaints, and the Twitter account went silent. Rumors started spreading that the team had pulled a slow rug pull—gradually selling their own tokens while keeping the price artificially high for a while. Eventually, the token value collapsed to near zero, and the website was pulled offline.

I was in shock—not just because I lost my money, but because I ignored so many red flags. I learned that excitement and community hype can be manipulated, and just because a project looks legitimate, doesn’t mean it is. Now, I only invest in projects with long-term credibility, clear transparency, and real-world use cases backed by trustworthy teams. If you’re reading this, don’t let early excitement blind you. The biggest crypto risks often come wrapped in the most polished packages.