Neighbor's twenty-four thousand euros, bought a bunch of fake tokens

Maria is fifty years old this year, working as a cleaner at the nearby Carrefour. Every morning before dawn, she leaves the house, pushes her cleaning cart through the supermarket, and wipes down the dirty spots. We've been neighbors for several years; she's the kind of person who greets you in the hallway and brings homemade treats during festivals and holidays.

That afternoon, Maria knocked on my door, looking a bit anxious.

She asked if I knew about computers. I said I knew a little, what's the matter? She said she has a wallet on Coinbase with one hundred thousand USDT, and wanted to ask me how to exchange it for euros.

I opened her phone to take a look, and my heart sank.

That wasn't USDT. It was a counterfeit token, with a name very similar, and an icon that looked very much alike, but on any legitimate exchange, its value is zero.

I thought for a moment and decided not to explain with technical language, as that would only confuse her more. I said, “Maria, do you know chips at a casino? Chips can be exchanged for money, but if you take a bunch of fake chips to the exchange counter, what do you think the cashier will do?”

She hesitated for a moment and said she understood, but it seemed she didn't fully get it.

I asked her: How did you get these tokens? Did someone sell them to you?

She said yes.

I asked: How much money did you give the other person?

She said: twenty-four thousand euros.

I said nothing. The number hung in the air for a few seconds.

Madre de Dios.

Then she asked me how she could get her money back.

I told her there was no way. This is a scam, and legally speaking, that money is considered a loss.

She burst into tears loudly, crying hard, like someone who had been holding back for a long time and finally found an outlet.

I waited until she finished crying, then told her that the only thing she can do now is report it to the police. If she needs, I can go with her.

Final note:

This type of scam follows a common script: a stranger recommends a “high-yield” platform, helps you “operate” it, and you see your account balance keep growing. Then, when you're about to withdraw, various reasons start to appear—fees, taxes, unfreezing funds. Eventually, you empty your savings, and the other person disappears.

Remember a few basic principles:

• Anyone who actively recommends an investment platform to you should be treated as a scam
• The numbers in your account do not equal your money; only when you can withdraw does it count
• USDT/BTC/ETH should only be purchased through official, legitimate channels
• If you encounter suspicious situations, ask someone knowledgeable before you spend your money

Maria lost twenty-four thousand euros, paying a painful lesson. I hope that those who read this article won't have to learn this lesson at the same cost.