Recently, I’ve seen quite a few people fall for cryptocurrency scams, and I think it’s still necessary to talk about it. Depositing $500k in a bank takes 5 minutes, but clicking on a stolen U-link is gone in less than a second. The gap is really frustrating.

I’ve noticed that scammers in China have now upgraded from traditional telecom fraud to the cryptocurrency space. The most heartbreaking thing is that when victims report the case, many police officers don’t even know what USDT is, and some directly say that virtual currencies are not protected by law, so they don’t file a case. As a result, people who get scammed often can only accept their bad luck.

Let me break down some of the most common scam methods for everyone.

The first is QR code contract authorization to steal U. When scammers trade with you, they send a QR code for you to scan, which looks like a transfer, but actually gives them control. A normal transfer QR code shows a wallet address, but these stolen U QR codes are actually third-party redirect links. It’s especially easy to fool beginners because they are dazzled by high returns, and some people even thank the scammer after being scammed.

The second is clipboard virus, which is the most vicious. A fan told me that as long as he copies a Bitcoin address, it will be automatically replaced. Even if he copies an address ending in 123, it turns into 567 when pasted. These are trojan files sent by scammers, with filenames that are particularly confusing. Once you download and open them, all the transfer links you copy afterward will be tampered with. So never click on random download links; this is the most direct way to protect yourself.

The third is fake wallet U theft, which is the most sophisticated scam. Because cold wallets are open source, it’s not hard to imitate one. Beginners can’t tell the difference at all, because they are initially lured by high returns and actively cooperate by downloading fake wallets. Small transfers in the beginning are fine, but once large amounts are deposited, the fake wallet will directly block your account and ask you to pay a guarantee deposit to unfreeze it. At this point, it shifts from a scam to a “kill-the-pig” scheme, constantly demanding money until you’ve drained your savings and realize you’ve been duped.

In short, behind the high returns promised by cryptocurrencies, scammers have long been eyeing your principal. Forget about getting rich overnight. If these tips can help you, I hope you can also share them with people around you.