I recently fell victim to a node scam and really want to share this experience in hopes of helping others avoid the same trap.

This happened last month. I opened my wallet to check if my salary had arrived, but instead I saw a full USDT balance. I was pretty happy at the time and immediately thought about withdrawing. However, the system asked me to pay a 20% "activation fee" first to unlock the funds. That’s when I became suspicious and quickly contacted wallet support.

The support’s response shocked me—my wallet was connected to a fake custom node. Simply put, someone tricked me into adding a fake node that shows a false token balance, but in reality, my wallet was empty. This is the most common tactic used in node scams.

Thinking back, I almost transferred more money just to "unlock" those nonexistent funds. Luckily, I caught it in time; otherwise, my real salary might never have arrived, and I would have lost money in the process.

After this lesson, I summarized some key points to avoid scams and want to share them with everyone:

First, never add custom nodes randomly. Scammers use this trick to display fake token balances. Always verify node settings through official channels—don’t rely on advice from strangers.

Second, if your wallet shows suspicious information, verify immediately using blockchain explorers. Tools like Etherscan, BSCScan, TronScan can show the real balance. Copy your wallet address into these explorers; if they show an empty balance but your wallet app displays tokens, it’s definitely a node scam.

Third, be alert to red flags. Terms like "activation fee" or "unlock fee" are scams. Also, be cautious of private messages on Telegram, Discord, or social media suddenly offering technical support or node upgrades—most of these are scammers. If something feels urgent or overly formal, pause and verify it yourself before proceeding.

This node scam experience made me realize that in the crypto world, you really need to stay vigilant. I hope everyone can use their wallets safely and not fall for these old tricks.