The pattern is tidy enough to teach. A Telegram channel or private chat sells insider copy trading — fat monthly percentages, “auto-follow”, no need to understand charts. You are told to connect a self-custody wallet (Trust Wallet is a frequent prop). A site such as api-connecting.com appears as the “analytics” or connection layer. You tap Connect, approve a contract you did not read, and the balance leaves. A dashboard may still show pretty trade graphics afterward. That is theatre.
Reader reports tied to brands marketed as Panfilov Invest and related handles describe exactly that sequence: connect, empty wallet, then a second story that withdrawals only work after you top up another Web3 wallet. The names rotate; the approval drain does not. We are not adjudicating every individual behind every alias — the operational tell is enough. Nobody honest needs unlimited token approvals to “follow their trades”.
If you already connected, revoke suspicious approvals from a clean device using a reputable revoke tool, move remaining assets to a fresh wallet if you still control the seed, and stop sending “unlock” deposits. Preserve the chat, the domain and transaction hashes for reporting. Do not install remote-access software so a stranger can “fix the API”.
Before any connect screen: who is the legal entity, why does a mentor need your wallet permissions, and can you verify performance without signing a contract. If those answers are nicknames and urgency, close Telegram.
If this matches a chat you are in, start at Get help. If recovery sellers appear next, read Fake recovery before you pay them.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.