Someone you love is about to send money to a crypto “investment”
The person being scammed is usually the last one to see it. If you’re reading this for someone else, you are the intervention. Here is what actually works in the next hour — what to check, what to say, and what to avoid saying.
Do these four things first
In order. The goal of the first hour is not to win the argument — it is to buy time and gather facts.
- Step 1
Ask them to pause, not to stop
“Stop” triggers defensiveness. “Can we wait 48 hours and look at it together?” almost never does. Real investments survive a two-day delay. Scams cannot — the pressure to hurry is the tell.
- Step 2
Get the actual details
The website address, the company name, the app name, the WhatsApp or Telegram number, and any wallet address. You cannot check anything without these, and asking for them is a normal, non-accusing request.
- Step 3
Run the details through a check
Paste each one into our checker. It compares against regulator warning lists from the SEC, CFTC and others, and flags names that imitate real exchanges.
- Step 4
Call the bank or exchange first, not last
If money has already moved, the bank fraud line and the exchange's support both need to hear it within hours, not days. Speed matters far more than having the full story.
What to actually say
Wording matters more than evidence here. Copy any of these and send it as-is, or use it as a starting point in your own voice.
Opening the conversation
I'm not saying you're being fooled, and I'm not going to take over. I just want to look at it with you for ten minutes, because I've read that these platforms are getting very good at looking real. If it holds up, I'll drop it completely.
If they say the returns are already showing
I believe the number on your screen. The part I want to test is whether the money can actually come back out. Can we try withdrawing a small amount today — not all of it, just enough to prove the door opens both ways?
If they're being asked for a fee to withdraw
A real exchange takes its fee out of the withdrawal itself. It never asks you to send more money in before it will release yours. That single detail is the clearest sign there is, and it's worth pausing on before anything else moves.
If there's a romantic or close relationship involved
I'm not asking you to doubt how you feel about them. I'm asking about the money, which is a separate thing. If they're genuine, they'll understand you wanting to slow down — and if they get angry about a delay, that tells us something on its own.
If they've shut you down and won't talk
Okay. I'll stop pushing. One thing only: please don't send anything new without telling me first. Not to ask permission — just so I know. I'm not going anywhere either way.
Signs to look for
You do not need all of these. Two or three together is enough to justify a pause.
- A stranger started the conversation — wrong number text, dating app, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn.
- They were coached to move the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram quickly.
- The platform shows steady daily or weekly profits with no losing days.
- The app was installed from a link, not from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- They were told to keep it private, or that family “wouldn't understand”.
- A fee, tax or upgrade is required before a withdrawal will be released.
- They've been encouraged to borrow, remortgage, or cash out a retirement account.
- The 'mentor' or 'account manager' gets irritated when questions are asked.
What not to do
These are the moves that most often end the conversation and push everything out of sight.
Don't lead with “this is obviously a scam”
It forces them to defend the scammer to protect their own judgment. Scammers actively coach victims to expect family to interfere — a blunt accusation confirms the story they've already been told about you.
Don't make it about the money they've lost
Shame is the single biggest reason people keep going and keep quiet. Focus on the next dollar, not the last one.
Don't threaten to take control of their accounts
Unless there's a legal arrangement in place, this usually ends the conversation and pushes activity underground where you can't see it.
Don't confront the scammer yourself
It rarely produces anything useful and can trigger blackmail or the deletion of evidence you'll need for a bank claim or report.
If they won’t listen right now
That is extremely common, and it is not a failure. Keep the door open, stay in contact, and be the person they come to when the withdrawal is refused — because that moment usually arrives. In the meantime you can keep watching the names involved.
This page is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice. Our checks and risk signals are automated and can be wrong; a result is not proof that a person or company has committed fraud.