Redazione RHC : 26 November 2025 12:54
Hi everyone… my name is Marco, I’m 37 years old and I work as an administrative clerk in an accounting firm. This is my first time speaking in front of you all, and I’m a little emotional… and I assure you, it’s not easy. But after what I’ve been through, I’ve realized that keeping quiet gets you nowhere, while sharing can save someone else from the same problem I’ve been through.
I’ve always considered myself a cautious person: I pay for everything by card, I check my bank statements, I keep an eye out for suspicious emails, and when I don’t understand something… I ask.
Yet, a few months ago, between work, stress, bills, and a bit of loneliness, I let my guard down. And someone struck me at just the perfect moment, and I lost €15,000.
It all started with an ad on social media: “Earn money by completing simple tasks online – zero risk, only profit.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen similar ads, but that platform seemed more professional, with graphics, reviews, and even live support.
So I think about it, but instinctively I fill out the form.
After ten minutes, a guy with a reassuring, very polite voice calls me.
He explains to me that I can start right away with a small deposit: 250 euros.
I’m sending them.
Within a few days the “portfolio” was already showing a +12% profit.
I didn’t believe it: “So it really works!”
From there, the pressure began: tasks to complete, increasingly larger deposits, small “missions” to complete to gain access to bonuses.
But every time I tried to withdraw, a message appeared: “Error. Please wait for operator approval.”
Or: “Withdrawal blocked: A new task must be completed.”
I thought it was a temporary problem.
Meanwhile, the graphs in my wallet were climbing, climbing so much… I seemed to be getting rich without lifting a finger. But I never actually saw that money.
To continue, at a certain point I had no more money of my own.
So I used my dad’s credit card, which he’d entrusted to me “only for emergencies.” The card was always with me, he never obsessively checked it, and I deluded myself that I’d soon get everything back; in fact, maybe I could even surprise the family.
I hid this from everyone. For long, endless months… how stupid I was!
One day, I finally decide to make a significant withdrawal: €5,000 from my “profit.” The portal crashes. Customer support texts me: “Incoming contact from our security department.”
A very kind lady calls me. She tells me they’ve noticed an anomaly on my profile, that someone may have attempted unauthorized access, and that they need to verify ownership of the wallet.
It asks me for the card number I used for deposits, to “confirm my identity”.
I’ll give it to him.
At that point they tell me: “The procedure requires one last validation transaction. Then the funds will be released.” After five minutes, I see the charge: 3,000 euros .
I rush to reload the page.
The wallet is missing.
The platform no longer exists.
The chat is not responding.
The number is unreachable.
And here’s the twist: my dad calls me asking why he’d received a security alert from the bank about “suspicious activity” on his card.
He didn’t know anything about it, he was completely taken aback.
The lie and the scam exploded together.
That’s when I truly realized that not only had I lost my money… I had also gotten my father in trouble.
When I went to the postal police, my heart was broken.
Not so much for the money lost, but for the shame. I thought they’d judge me as an idiot, but instead I was told that cases like mine come every day: prepared, intelligent, attentive people… all deceived by meticulously planned psychological manipulation. It was the first moment I felt less alone, and that’s why I agreed to come here to share my story.
From there I started reading, informing myself, understanding how these fake investment platforms work.
I discovered, too late, that everything I saw, from the charts to the profits, was generated by rigged software. Nothing was real. Every message, every phone call, every “withdrawal error” was part of a precise plan. And the more I read, the more I asked myself only one question: how could I have fallen for it?
Then I sadly realized something: you don’t fall because you’re stupid. You fall because you’re human.
The article was inspired by a real scam shared by a user on Reddit.
Our deepest consolation goes to this person: her courage in sharing her experiences allows others to recognize the signs, protect themselves, and learn from her experiences.
Redazione