Help! I'm New to Crypto

In today's world, you can't go five minutes without hearing about cryptocurrency. I can't explain why but it's always caught my interest. However, I've been a bit hesitant to join as my first crypto exposure was BitConnect which turned out to be a pyramid scheme.

Recently, I've decided to give crypto another chance as it excites me. I found this site which I figured would give me a bit of free crypto as well as the opportunity to discuss with people who know way more about crypto than myself. With that being said, would anyone be willing to help answer a few of my questions about crypto because every other site just belittles me and labels me a FUD(fear, uncertainty, doubt)? If so, I'd truly appreciate it.

Firstly, how can you identify a crypto scam? I believed in BitConnect due to its sheer size. I figured that nothing that big could be a scam. Clearly, I was wrong. What signs can you look for to determine if a crypto project is legit?

Similarly, how much of a factor is price manipulation? I've seen a number of NFT projects go "to the moon" only for it to be yet another rug pull. Have any cryptos been stabilized or will I have to spend every day wondering if I'll be stuck holding the bag?

Lastly, how secure is crypto? I'm sure you've read about the number of massive crypto hacks. I was wondering if those are common on smaller accounts.

To those kind souls, thank you for helping me navigate this labyrinth known as the world of crypto.