Alright, let’s get straight to it—yes, I got scammed. Duped. Suckered. And not by some amateur prince-from-Nigeria email. No, this was the full gourmet version of a scam—something the cyber underworld lovingly calls a Pig Butchering Scam. Romantic name, I know.
The term sounds ridiculous, but it’s basically a long con where the scammer “fattens up” the victim emotionally and psychologically before going in for the kill. And yeah, I was the pig in this story. So let’s rewind and walk you through how it all unfolded—because if it can happen to someone as cautious and skeptical as me, it can happen to anyone.
It All Started with a Wrong Number (Or So I Thought)
It began like this: I got a WhatsApp message from someone named Alsae. She said she was looking for a “Mr. Something” (I don’t even remember the name now) who was supposed to be some boutique director in Singapore. Harmless enough, right? Just a mistaken message?
Except… she didn’t stop there.
She used the excuse to strike up a conversation. At first, I kept my guard up. You know that internal voice? Mine was yelling, “Sketchy! Don’t engage!” But she kept it casual. Polite. Harmless. We chatted occasionally for the next few weeks.
She even flirted a little—nothing over the top—but hinted at romantic interest. I wasn’t really in the mood for a relationship, so I didn’t lean into that, but it gave her an opening to build rapport.
Then we started talking about crypto.
From Coinhako to the Rabbit Hole
I had some investments running on Coinhako, and I casually mentioned that things weren’t going well. I was down almost 50%, which—let’s be honest—isn’t that rare in crypto.
She said, “Oh, you should try margin trading. I’ve been doing it for a while. My dad’s team has these special timings they follow to maximize profit.”
Now, I’m not new to this space, but I am always curious. So when she offered to guide me through a few small trades, I figured… why not test the waters?
She told me to download Coinbase Wallet—not to be confused with Coinbase.com. (Quick side note: Coinbase Wallet is a separate app that lets you connect to decentralized apps. It’s legit, but it’s also easy to misuse if you’re not careful.)
Then she had me go to a site called bdexted.org, which I now know is as shady as it sounds. We connected the wallet, traded some USDT (Tether), and boom—first trade: 10% profit.
She walked me through everything over WhatsApp, step-by-step, like she’d done it a hundred times.
The Hook: “Let’s Make Real Money”
Here’s the part that really got me.
After a couple of successful withdrawals back to my Coinhako wallet (which I also cashed out to my bank), she said, “Why are you putting in so little? You’re wasting time. If you want to make real gains, you need to put in more.”
So I did. I put in 15,000 USDT.
And guess what? The same pattern happened. We made a few trades, earned profits, I cashed out again.
This is textbook scammer psychology—they let you win at first. It builds trust. It makes you feel like you’re in control. You’re not.
The Snowball: A Bigger Margin, A Bigger Lie
A few days later, she told me there was a new “promotion” on the trading platform. You could pick a deposit tier between 100K and 500K USDT. I picked 200K. Not because I had it—but because she said she could “lend” me some, and I just needed to top up the rest.
The catch? They said I had to deposit the entire amount upfront, and my earlier earnings on the platform didn’t count.
Also, if I didn’t hit the amount in time, my account’s “credit score” would drop and potentially get frozen.
Yes, it sounds ridiculous in hindsight. But when you’re already halfway in, with successful trades and earnings to back it up? The psychological trap is real.
She even “transferred” more USDT to help me. But this is when my skeptical INTP brain finally kicked back in.
Gut Feeling Meets Etherscan
I started digging.
I went to etherscan.io, plugged in my wallet address and the platform’s wallet address, and guess what? All my transactions were there—but her transfers to me? Nada. No trace. It was all smoke and mirrors.
That’s when I knew—this wasn’t just shady. It was a full-blown, orchestrated scam.
I filed a police report. Reached out to cybercrime authorities. And even dragged out the WhatsApp convos for a few more days to collect more evidence.
Then she ghosted me.
Oh, and I almost forgot—she had changed numbers multiple times. The tone of her messages slightly shifted, too. Looking back, it probably wasn’t even one person—it was likely a whole team.
Reporting to Chainabuse
In my quest to alert others and possibly aid in recovery, I reported the fraudulent website to Chainabuse. For those unfamiliar, Chainabuse is a platform dedicated to reporting and combating blockchain-related scams. They offer resources and support for victims, and by reporting, you contribute to a database that helps prevent others from falling into similar traps.
Beware of Recovery Scams
A word of caution: after such incidents, you might be tempted to seek out crypto recovery services. Be wary. Many of these are scams themselves. They promise to retrieve your lost funds but often require upfront payments. Remember, due to the nature of blockchain transactions, reversals are nearly impossible. Always research thoroughly before engaging with any recovery service.
The Aftermath: Burnt, But Wiser
Am I lucky or unlucky?
Honestly… both.
Yes, I lost my savings. I took out investments. I even borrowed from the bank thinking I’d pay it back fast with the next big win.
But I could’ve lost everything. The scam was still escalating when I caught on. That’s the scary part—it’s designed to keep you hooked and blind.
The real kicker? I’ve studied Buddhism for years. I should’ve known better. Greed, attachment, illusions—I’ve read the books, man. But even with all that, I got pulled in.
Because these scammers are good.
What You Should Know (Before It’s Too Late)
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this—it’s this:
Don’t ever trust any platform or “friend” that pushes you to connect your wallet to a site you don’t recognize. I don’t care how charming they are. I don’t care how.
When Help Isn’t Exactly Helpful
So after realizing I’d been scammed, I did what anyone would do—I filed a police report. I wasn’t expecting miracles, but I figured it was at least a necessary step. I also contacted Tether (USDT) directly, hoping they could freeze or block the scammer’s wallet address.
But here’s the thing: Tether won’t take action unless an official law enforcement agency submits the request. It doesn’t matter if you’re the actual victim waving red flags. They need the paperwork from the authorities.
And the authorities? Well… let’s just say the gears turn slowly. Till today, not much has been done.
So while I did everything “right” after the fact—police reports, scam reports on Chainabuse, Etherscan investigations—the system isn’t really built to help individuals. Once the money’s gone, it’s nearly impossible to recover.
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