Victims of scams should feel free to share their stories

Cryptocurrency scam tracking site The Bad Bitcoin describes the original Bitcoin Forum in the following way:

The original bitcoin forum, but be very wary of posting, unless you have a strong constitution, and then only if you really like shedloads of abuse from arrogant halfwits. This is also a favourite haunt of the bitcoin thieves who like to announce their crooked schemes and catch the 'newbies' - Sad but true.

While scammers will haunt any place where they believe they will be successful (I have no doubt Steemit is home to more than a few of them as well), I wish the first part of that statement weren't so right on the money.

Scamming is unfortunately a significant part of the cryptocurrency industry landscape and that is regrettable. The other unfortunate part of the industry landscape is the piling on if you happen to post about an experience you had with a scam.

Recently BitcoinTalk member Lakai01 started a thread called How I Met My Scammer in which he or she describes an experience with responding to a fake Twitter giveaway and then realizing in the middle of it that it was a scam. Lakai01 felt it was important to share this experience in part to warn others and also because it can really help with the (for lack of a better word) healing process to be able to share one's sad story with a sympathetic audience. The thread was also intended to be a place where people could feel safe sharing their hard luck experiences with scams.

Unfortunately and predictably, a number of people felt the need to pile on with statements along the lines of "You're a complete idiot for falling for such an obvious scam."

While that kind of statement might be called for if Lakai01 was still involved in the scam and actively promoting it, it is completely unnecessary in the case where the victim already recognizes it for what it is and is merely sharing their story.

I don't know why people on BitcoinTalk feel such a need to pile on like that, but I wish they would refrain. What benefit is there to victim shaming people who have fallen prey to scams? On the other hand, there are real benefits to being able to share one's story with others in a safe environment.

If you have ever gotten scammed in the cryptocurrency industry, you are not an idiot, you're a victim. Although it's always great to exercise prudence and due diligence that is often easier said than done when you're just learning about an entire industry for the first time. The despicable ones are not the victims, but those who callously prey on them.

If you have ever been the victim of a scam in the cryptocurrency industry, you are not alone. You may feel terrible and tempted to beat yourself up over it, and if you share your experience on BitcoinTalk, you'll have plenty of help with that part. But the truth is lots of us have been there and lots of us might be there again. That's the nature of the industry at this time, until the bad actors can be effectively weeded out.

What you do after the scam experience is the important thing. Getting scammed does not have to define you, and you have a wonderful opportunity to turn a failure into a learning experience, to bring good out of a bad experience. The best way to move forward in the aftermath of being scammed is to treat it like a learning experience. Ask yourself lots of questions and answer them honestly. What kind of scam was it? Certain scams have become so common that there are entire categories of similar ones. What lured you in? What were the red flags that you missed this time so that you can spot them next time around? What aspect of the cryptocurrency industry were you ignorant of that blinded you to the scam?

As an example, a scam I fell for early on was a site that claimed to put any Bitcoin you sent to work mining and then send it back to you along with the mining rewards. The returns were something like 25 or 37% in four days. That kind of rate of return would be ridiculous in any kind of traditional investment, but I didn't know that it was also ridiculous with mining because I didn't know anything about mining. So in that case, my ignorance of mining technology factored into my falling for something that promised a rate of return that sounded too good to be true. Just FYI, there are similar scams that claim to have a secret formula for realizing similar returns through day trading, and unless you know how trading actually works, you might be tempted by something like that. A third type of scam I've recently heard about is a third party request for you to send them some funds or share your private key in order to "activate" your wallet. You might think that sounds perfectly reasonable if you're just now learning about how a wallet works.

If you can figure out what your blind spots were, then you're more likely to recognize future scams for what they are.

Another thing to consider is what may have been motivating you emotionally. Scam artists prey on ignorance, but they also prey on emotions and desires. What were you hoping would happen when you participated in the scam? Were you hoping to making some quick money? Were you financially desperate in some way? People refer to such emotions as greed but it's not as simple as that. It may be greed, but I'm sure in your case it was more subtle. Whatever was going on with you emotionally, you want to recognize that and when you feel that same way again, stop and consider what you are about to do.

Finally, as tough as it may be, especially when you can expect know-it-alls to pile on their scorn, it actually can be really helpful and healing to share your story with others. People who have more experience and who are willing to withhold criticism can help you work through some of the above questions as well as share their own stories. But even more important than that, they can express sorrow and sympathy for what you just went through and encourage you to learn from it, shake it off and keep going.

So if you're in that boat, if you've recently been the victim of a scam, I do encourage you to share your story either here or on Lakai01's BitcoinTalk thread or any other appropriate venue. You will receive no judgment or shaming from me, and feel free to add any scornful pilers on to your ignore or mute lists. Among other things they simply do not understand the power of telling your story.