The buzz on crypto in 2018 was quite loud, and we all wanted to be involved in the rise of the different coins that were available to us at that moment.
Many family and friends were sharing news about how they made quite a fortune from just keeping an amount in wallets. Of course, we all wanted to make that kind of money, as it was a win-win, save and earn more. I was in for every bit of this.
For me, a risk taker, tapping into the booming market was a must. I remembered my crypto buddy, who had more knowledge about the market. After a few calls and meet-ups, I was very sure I wanted to have my first set of Crypto assets, and on the 17th, of September 2018, my dream crypto portfolio was ready.
I didn’t think much of it till 2020 when the price of bitcoin and my other assets increased tremendously, and there was real chatter about it. The accumulated gains in my wallet were mind-boggling and unbelievable. After a while, I was finally ready to reap my yields and withdraw, but I could not remember my password. After several failed attempts to change my password, I remembered switching numbers within the time, and the 2FA on the mailing account also would not let me reset the password using my email.
This lapse was a big problem, and I had forgotten the password to the old blockchain wallet. I tried my possible best to get back in. I tried using the “forgot password” tab, but I reached a brick wall on the 2FA with every attempt.
At that time, I was also searching and scouring the web for crypto recovery websites and lost crypto websites to help my cause.
I finally pulled the trigger on using the HLex wallet recovery service, a service I found on a flimsy post on the internet after many failed attempts on my own.
During our conversations, they boasted so much about being the best in the business and having the technical knowledge and software to get me back into my crypto wallet but to no avail.
They asked for a lot of personal information like private keys via mail, and at that moment, there was no choice but to give them the information.
On my part, I didn’t know that HLex was another crypto recovery scam that targeted victims like me. But, unfortunately, I was in for it. I lost my 2 Months’ salary and some savings, and they also tried to phish me.
The perpetrators also used my credit card in an unauthorized location for a charge that was not in my local currency, USD. They charged it for an online transfer in Israel. I lost about $25k to Hlex, desperate to cash out on my new income. They promised me crypto recovery.
Furious and frustrated at the same time, I picked up my phone to call my crypto buddy in shame to tell him all that had happened to me.
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On the phone call, after explaining my situation, he replied, and I quote, ‘your money is gone, Cy.’ A chill gripped my spine as I fell back into my seat, sighing in disbelief. Then, he replied, ‘try to report to any legit internet crime complaint center about your stolen cryptocurrency, and they should be able to help.
The first thing I searched on Facebook and google was ‘how to report a website for scamming,’ ‘how to report stolen cryptocurrency,’ and a scam website. Reportscammedbitcoin came out as top in two of them, so I reported to them and ic3.
How did I do it? I navigated to reportscammedbitcoins’ website from the searches made on google. This site was the most effective place to report a scammer. Additionally, I reported phishing because of unsolicited emails asking for passwords to personal information. At that moment, reporting this company so that nobody else would fall into this trap was all that was important.
I felt better when I reluctantly decided to give Reportscammedbitcoin a report of all that happened, and I’m glad I did when I later learned people report scams to them. As a result, they got their fraudulent services blocked and the operators arrested.
I explained my situation to them in my first email, and they responded and told me they would look into the legitimacy of my claim. After that, all I had to do was provide transaction IDs and the amount lost, and I got a follow-up email from their team 4 days after my report.
They had dissected the whole case and provided me with a 25-page analysis of how they traced the scam crypto and credit card billings to Hlex. They immediately blacklisted the Hlex company by adding it to their list of scam recovery companies.
They also gave me directions on how to claim my lost crypto, which was very easy. I just had to provide my verification materials, and blockchain unlocked the wallet, but it’s too late now.
Also, Hlex has stopped operations with their traced accounts under investigation for their numerous violations.
Reportscammedbitcoin, which I later discovered is a hidden gem still largely unknown to many people. I am utterly surprised they did everything I asked of them and were ‘right there and speedy with all my inquiries. So I decided to test the waters with my previous experience, and they came through for me, Hlex, out of operations.
From my experience, you can learn tips that help prevent stolen crypto, stolen funds, theft loss, fake crypto exchanges, and many more atrocious activities.
We all need to stay safe out here and avoid cryptocurrency scams. You can either report to law enforcement and the federal trade commission or report a scam website on websites like Reportscammedbitcoins.
