I never thought I’d be making a post like this.
A few weeks/months ago, I came across someone on Reddit claiming to be a teenager who was going through a difficult situation. As a woman, I think I probably reacted differently than I normally would have — I felt protective and genuinely believed this was someone young who needed an adult to help them.
I wasn’t looking for anything in return. I just wanted to help.
Unfortunately, that trust ended up costing me almost €5,000.
I eventually realized that the person wasn’t being truthful and that I had been scammed. By then, I’d already sent a substantial amount of money, including crypto transactions that I still have records of.
I’m honestly struggling with how to process it. It’s not just the amount of money — it’s the fact that I genuinely thought I was helping someone who needed me, and I ended up being the person who was taken advantage of.
I’m trying to put my embarrassment aside and ask for practical advice.
Is there anything I can still do to try to recover the money?
I have screenshots of the conversations, payment records, wallet addresses and transaction hashes.
Transaction hash:
b70bb593926a28cb52b65b7c3f40fdc5265f65eb78a1bd6a0b932b1262ddb4d2
If anyone has experience with crypto scams, particularly recovering funds after a scam, I’d really appreciate some guidance:
Should I report this to the police/cybercrime authorities?
Should I contact the exchange involved?
Can investigators actually trace the funds through the blockchain?
Is there any chance of freezing the funds if they can identify where they went?
What evidence should I preserve?
Has anyone here successfully recovered money in a similar situation?
I’m not posting this to ask Reddit for money. I just want to know whether I’ve made a very expensive mistake that I have to accept, or whether there’s still something worth pursuing.
And yes, I know I should have been more careful. I’m already dealing with that part.