The Phishing Link That Cost My Friend Their Crypto
This story isn’t mine but happened to a close friend, and it serves as an important reminder of how sophisticated scammers can be. My friend received a direct message on Discord from someone who appeared to be an admin of a crypto project they followed. The message was about an exclusive NFT airdrop for loyal community members, with a link to claim the reward.

The link led to a professional-looking website with branding identical to the project’s official site. It asked my friend to connect their wallet to verify eligibility for the airdrop. Excited by the opportunity, they connected their wallet and confirmed the transaction. Moments later, they noticed that their wallet had been completely drained—not just the tokens related to the project but all their holdings.

Devastated, my friend reached out to the project’s official admin, only to learn that the message they received was from a fake account. The scammers had created a near-identical username to trick community members into trusting them.

This incident was a painful reminder to never trust unsolicited messages, even if they seem to come from official sources. Always verify links and offers directly with the project’s official channels, and double-check URLs before connecting your wallet. If you’re unsure, ask in the project’s official Discord or Telegram groups before taking action. Scammers rely on urgency to cloud judgment—always take a moment to think before you click.