A close friend of mine, Lisa, recently shared her heartbreaking experience with me after being scammed by a fake crypto investment group that she found on Instagram. It all began when she came across a post from @CryptoSuccessNow, an account claiming to offer exclusive investment tips and crypto trading signals for new traders. The account was highly active, posting “real-time profits” and “success stories” from members.

The account seemed legitimate—there were testimonials from people who claimed to have doubled or tripled their investments in just a few weeks. Lisa, eager to learn more, messaged the account and received a quick reply. She was welcomed into their “exclusive” private group on Telegram, where the administrator promised to give her the tools she needed to make her first successful trades.

The group looked professional, and Lisa was convinced it was real—she saw multiple people posting about their earnings and even shared her own excitement. The admin provided her with a “special investment plan” that would “guarantee” returns of 20% in the first two weeks. To participate, she had to invest $1,000 in USDT, which she sent over with confidence.

For the first few days, she saw some small returns and was convinced she had found a winning strategy. But when she tried to withdraw her funds, the group suddenly began requesting “processing fees” to release the profits. The more Lisa questioned these charges, the more aggressive the admin became, claiming that if she didn’t act fast, her returns would be lost.

Eventually, Lisa realized the truth—the group was a scam. The admin had disappeared, and all of the members in the group were either bots or paid actors. She tried to trace the wallet address she sent funds to, but the money had already been moved, and the platform was shut down.

This entire ordeal was a harsh lesson for Lisa: never trust investment groups or influencers—especially those promoting guaranteed returns on social media. If you don’t know who’s behind a project or service, don’t risk your funds. Always conduct thorough research, seek independent reviews, and avoid sending money to any online group promising quick, guaranteed profits.