Crypto and investment DMs
A stranger DMs you about a "guaranteed return." It is always a pump-and-dump or a recruiting funnel for one.
How it works
A stranger DMs you on Discord, Instagram, or a game platform:
"Hey! I made $5,000 last week trading crypto. I can show you the system. Just put in $50 to start."
Or in a public Discord server, an "expert" pumps a coin no one's heard of. People buy in. The price spikes for a day. The original promoters dump their bags. The price crashes 90%. New buyers lose almost everything.
Sometimes there's no real coin at all — the "platform" you sent money to was just a fake interface that showed fake gains until you tried to withdraw.
Why people fall for it
- FOMO — fear of missing out on the "next Bitcoin."
- Social proof — DMs reference real-sounding numbers and screenshots.
- Personalized attention — the scammer treats you like a friend.
- Small initial ask ($20–50) feels low-risk.
Red flags
- Stranger DMing first. Real investing teachers don't slide into DMs.
- Promises of "guaranteed returns." No such thing exists in real investing.
- Pressure to "act before the move."
- Asks you to use a specific obscure exchange they recommend.
- Wants you to switch off the platform to Telegram or WhatsApp.
- Pushes you to recruit friends for "bonus" returns (this is multi-level marketing or worse, a Ponzi).
How to stay safe
- Block and report any stranger DMing you about investments. No exceptions.
- If you want to learn investing, learn the concepts first. See Compound interest and our investing basics demo.
- Real investing is boring. It's index funds and decades of patience, not Discord pumps.
- Never invest money you can't afford to lose — and definitely not borrowed money.
Related lessons
- Compound interest, the friendly snowball
- Spotting money scams online
- Glossary: Index fund, Compound interest
Sources & further reading
- Better Business Bureau — Cryptocurrency scams
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Investor.gov fraud alerts
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — IC3.gov
Educational only — not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. If you think you've been scammed, tell a trusted adult immediately and report it to the FTC and the BBB Scam Tracker.