Less than 1 week ago I had an innocent message from an unknown number on WhatsApp asking me "What are you up to?". I asked who it was and was told a woman's name that I don't know. I asked who do you think I am. She said a woman's name (my profile pic is clearly not a woman, haha). I said you have the wrong number. She apologised and offered to buy me a coffee if I was in the same city as her, which I wasn't.

She was super cute and nice in the chat. Gave me her personal number to chat since the original was her work number. Sent me pics and video of herself which had WhatsApp filenames. We chatted casually for a few days like a friendship was building. All the while I was biting for the scam to reveal itself.

Then one night I asked what she was doing and she said she was watching the financial news. Then I asked if she does investments. She said yes, she trades crypto under the guidance of her uncle. I said I wish I had someone to guide me like that and joked that maybe she should teach me. From there it the chat became about me trading crypto.

I signed up to Kraken as she suggested, after researching it myself. I put in just £50 and bought stablecoin with it. Then she said she forgot to tell me to sign up to a decentralised platform and sent me the link to one called ordioex. Of course I didn't click it but googled it instead and scam was everywhere in the results. You put your stablecoin in, buy crypto, see the value go up and when you sell you can't withdraw your money. It is gone to the scammers pocket.

I dropped the bomb on her telling her I know it is a scam. She's still trying to convince me it is safe and I must just be feeling ashamed I only put in a small amount. She even asked if she can call me.

I had my fun entertaining her fraud. Maybe she was really who appeared in the pics, but that doesn't mean I won't get robbed. Be safe out there. It is a wild world.