If you're new to crypto, you've probably heard of pump and dump — one of the most popular scam schemes in the market. It's not some exotic tactic, but a common manipulation that happens every day.

The essence is simple: a small group coordinates a massive purchase of a low-market-cap token simultaneously, usually through private chats. Within minutes, demand artificially increases, the price skyrockets by 5-50 times, and the same rocket candles appear, forcing people into FOMO. Beginners think they've missed a super opportunity and buy at the top. But at that moment, organizers and insiders just dump everything they have — and the price drops by 80-99 percent in seconds.

From 2024 to 2025, the most schemes of this kind involved meme coins and tokens on Solana, Base, and TON. The largest groups organizing such pumps number hundreds of thousands of participants. They coordinate through bot signals and private channels — an ordinary person simply won't react quickly enough.

Technically, this is prohibited in most countries, but it's very difficult to track and punish on the crypto market. If you see a pump signal in a chat — it's already too late, you're at the end of the line. Those who profit are the organizers, who knew about it in advance.

One protection: don't chase after promises of +1000% in 10 minutes. If something looks too good to be true — it probably is. It's better to follow reliable sources of information and learn to recognize manipulation signs than to rely on luck. Remember: everyone knows what a pump and dump are, but people still fall into this trap due to greed and FOMO.