Kenneth Nicholson, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency scene. He has gained attention through his YouTube channel, where he educates viewers on investment strategies within the crypto sphere.

“I began producing content about cryptocurrency and even launched my own crypto exchange,” Nicholson shared, reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey.

Given his involvement in the field, Nicholson often receives outreach from individuals eager to engage in crypto discussions. One such interaction began with a direct message on social media, leading to an ongoing conversation over several days. “They engaged me with detailed inquiries,” he noted. Eventually, the exchange culminated in a request for a meeting to delve deeper into the technology. “It was supposed to be just a meeting,” he recounted.

However, moments before the scheduled discussion, Nicholson received a notification about technical difficulties with their chosen platform. “The person sent me a link to download software,” Nicholson explained. Using his Mac, he clicked the link, which opened his terminal and prompted him for his password. “At that point, I became suspicious,” he said, recalling the unusual characters in the script.

Reacting swiftly, Nicholson cut off his internet connection, unplugged his devices, and took a moment to gather his thoughts, assuming he had thwarted any security breach. However, upon reconnecting, he discovered the severity of the situation: “I was logged out of all my accounts, and my funds were gone,” he lamented.

His crypto account which had $80,000 was emptied. “It’s one of the risks that I guess you’re willing to take this one hit a bit harder because I’ve never really been scammed like this a targeted scam,” Nicholson said.

His advice to others to prevent getting scammed like he did: slow down when responding to messages. “A lot of times we make mistakes when we run more rushing. I know it’s hard in this day and age when so much is happening but go a little bit slower and just cross your t’s and . your I’s,” Nicholson added.

This is also a good reminder to never click on links from people you don’t know. After he was scammed, Nicholson took a closer look at the link he was sent and instead of the legitimate meeting website, it had extra letters, using .co instead of .com.

Finally, think twice before downloading anything to your computer. While it may seem harmless, in this case it was software that gave the scammers access to all of Nicholson’s accounts once he entered his password.