Yesterday I was talking with a friend about the most common traps in the crypto market, and we ended up touching on a subject that needs to be addressed: some people are using old reputations to deceive novice traders.

Have you ever stopped to think about how some influencers manage to gain so much trust? There’s a very clear pattern. The person becomes known in 2013, 2014 for talking about Bitcoin, builds an image of an expert, and then... starts launching one memecoin after another. And do you know what their pitch is? "If you missed Bitcoin, don’t miss this opportunity." Just like that. People fall for it because they think it’s coming from someone who "understands" cryptocurrency.

But here’s the part that’s bothersome: while novice traders are investing their hard-earned money waiting for the next big pump, what actually happens is that these influencers do the exact opposite. They sell everything at once — what we call a dump — and leave everyone else holding the bag with heavy losses. It’s the classic pump and dump, and it happens more often than we’d like to admit.

The worst part is that many people still fall for it. Why? Because trust in public figures is too strong. Like, the guy was famous in 2013 talking about Bitcoin, so people think he’s still trustworthy. Spoiler: he’s not.

So let me be straight: DYOR. Always. Look for real technology, transparent teams, concrete use cases. If someone keeps promising guaranteed profits or says that this coin is "the next Bitcoin," it’s almost always a red flag. Even the most well-known names can be deceiving you.

The crypto market has incredible opportunities, but it also has traps around every corner. Protect your money, stay open-minded but critical, and don’t let anyone — not even "experts" — decide for you.