Claire Martineau

Three years ago, I fell victim to a cryptocurrency scam. At the time, I was obsessed with the idea of traveling the world. Most of my friends were doing it, financed by their parents. For me, though, it was a distant dream—I couldn’t afford it on my barista salary, and my family in the suburbs of Paris, France, couldn’t help. I was 21 and desperate to find a way.

Late one night, after hours of scrolling through blogs about “budget travel hacks,” I stumbled on a Facebook group about cryptocurrency investments. They promised huge returns, with testimonials from people claiming they’d made fortunes starting with just a few euros. It sounded sketchy, but I was too intrigued to ignore it.

I started small—just 100 euros. After a few weeks, it doubled. When I cashed out 300 euros, I thought, Maybe this really works. Greed crept in. I reinvested everything, and to my shock, my balance soared to 2,000 euros within three months. By then, I wasn’t just hooked—I was all in. I borrowed 8,000 euros from friends, plunging it all into the same platform.

Two months later, my account showed a jaw-dropping 20,000 euros. I withdrew 10,000 euros, leaving the rest in “altcoins,” and used part of it to buy Bitcoin. My friends thought I’d lost my mind. You’re gambling, they warned. But I didn’t listen.

And then it happened. One morning, I couldn’t log into my wallet. Panic turned to dread as I scoured forums and realized the entire operation was a scam. My stomach sank: 15,000 euros—gone.

Thankfully, I’d kept my Bitcoin. Its value rose enough for me to recover my losses and repay my friends. When it hit 15,000 euros, I cashed out for good.

That money became my ticket to freedom. I traveled to Indonesia, Japan, and Chile—living my dream. But even now, I shudder at the thought of how easily I could’ve lost everything.

If you’re tempted by “easy money,” learn from my mistake. Greed blinds you, and scams prey on that. Some risks just aren’t worth it.