One night, while browsing YouTube, I came across a “Live Giveaway” from a well-known cryptocurrency figure. The live stream was hosted on a channel that looked identical to the influencer’s real account. They were supposedly giving away Bitcoin and Ethereum to celebrate a milestone.

The instructions were simple:

Send 0.1 BTC or 1 ETH to a listed address.
Receive double the amount back instantly.
The chat was filled with users thanking the influencer for their “generosity.” People were saying they had just received their doubled funds. The excitement seemed real. I wanted to test it, so I sent 0.2 BTC (about $8,000 at the time) to the address.

I waited. And waited. Nothing came back.
After 30 minutes, the live stream suddenly ended, and the channel disappeared. That’s when I realized—it was a scam.

These scammers steal content from real influencers, create fake YouTube channels, and run pre-recorded videos as “live” broadcasts to fool people into thinking they’re real.

What I Learned
✔ Crypto giveaways NEVER ask you to send money first.
✔ Double-check official accounts. Look for verification checkmarks and cross-check usernames.
✔ If a YouTube “live” stream has disabled comments, it’s likely fake.