Fraud scripts are lazy in a useful way: they steal emotion that already exists. A news week about migration policy, a political scandal, or a market scare becomes the first line in a DM — “while everyone argues about X, smart money is doing Y”.
The news may be real. The wallet address is not a newspaper. Separating the two is the whole skill. If a stranger pivots from geopolitics to a deposit deadline in under three messages, you are not in a briefing — you are in a funnel.
Keep current affairs in news apps. Keep money decisions on platforms you chose when you were calm.
If something similar lands in your inbox, start at Get help. If the next pitch is “we can get the money back”, read Fake recovery first.
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.