Hi everyone,
Unfortunately, I was the victim who fell for this scam, and I want to share my experience so others can avoid making the same mistake here.
Due to Ian’s old profile activity, I trusted him. Being based in the UK, finding used or affordable Kaleidescape Terra servers is incredibly challenging. I’ve loved this ecosystem for a long time and had been saving up for a server. When the scammer, using Ian’s hacked account, offered me a used 22TB Terra server for $4,900 (with a 4-year warranty and shipping included), it seemed like a deal I couldn’t pass up.
We agreed to make payment via USDT, and I sent the amount to the TRC20 address he provided.
After making the payment, I waited for shipping details, but he kept delaying, which was my first red flag. Unfortunately, by the time I realized something was wrong, it was already too late. I briefly felt reassured when I saw Jim’s message under the scammer’s post, but the delays continued.
As I grew more suspicious, I checked the images the scammer had sent. I noticed the file names were unusually long, as though they were downloaded from the internet. When I searched the file names, I discovered the images were taken from another forum back in July 2023. This was odd because the scammer claimed the unit had a warranty until December 2028, which wouldn’t align with a unit purchased in December 2023.
At this point, I knew I’d been scammed. I quickly reached out to Jim
@cinelife , and in the meantime,
@josh blocked the another scammer’s account which was also hacked. Josh also urgently messaged me, warning me not to send any money, but the damage was already done. I informed him that I had already made the payment.
Josh and Jim quickly invited me to a conference call to discuss the situation. I was in complete shock that this had happened to me—especially since Ian’s profile dated back to 2007, which had made it seem trustworthy. On the call, Jim and Josh were incredibly supportive. They really felt my pain. They empathized with what I was going through and provided clues and advice to help track the scammer. They both are amazing people.
The last few days have been a nightmare. I felt so stupid and angry at myself for falling for this scam, especially with my technical background. But I refused to give up. Even though the chances of recovering anything were slim, I knew I had to try.
Fortunately, the scammer made a critical mistake: the TRC20 address he provided was linked to a centralized exchange—Binance. This made it possible to track the funds. I quickly reported the incident to Binance Security Support, providing a detailed explanation and all the evidence I had. I also involved a blockchain investigation agency that works closely with law enforcement.
Fast forward to today—just a few hours ago, I received a message from Binance’s Security Fund Recovery team. They had recovered my funds and credited them back to my account. This outcome is extremely rare in the crypto world, as scammers typically use mixers to obscure transactions. Luckily for me, this scammer was slightly naive and sent the funds directly to his CEX account.
I can’t thank Binance and the other agencies enough for their efforts in recovering my funds. This ordeal was heartbreaking, but I’m grateful I was able to dodge the bullet.
I sincerely hope no one else in our small, beautiful Kaleidescape owners’ community has to go through what I experienced. We all need to stay vigilant and avoid making the mistakes I made.
Lastly, I want to give a huge shoutout to
@josh . He is an incredible person. When I was at my lowest, he truly felt my pain. His text messages and moral support meant the world to me. Stay blessed, bro—I’ll always remember your kindness.
