I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I’ve been working in IT and cybersecurity for over a decade. I’ve always considered myself pretty sharp when it comes to spotting scams. I’ve helped friends and coworkers avoid phishing, fake websites, even phone fraud. That’s what makes this so hard to admit: I fell for a crypto scam — and it cost me over $40,000. It started with a post in a private Telegram group I joined for crypto trading. A user shared results from a new “AI-based crypto trading bot” and invited others to try it out. I did my research — or so I thought. The site was polished, the API connected with my wallet, and I even ran test transactions that seemed to work. At first, I invested $1,000. After a week, the bot showed $1,300. Then $2,000. I started trusting the system. Over the next three months, I invested more, feeling confident I was early on something legit. Then I tried to withdraw. Suddenly, I needed to “verify my identity” with a fee. Then a “smart contract upgrade” required another payment. Every time I pushed back, they had a technical explanation — well-written and convincing. It wasn’t until the site disappeared overnight that I realized the whole thing had been a trap. I was angry — mostly at myself. Eventually, I found rerevertrecovery.com, and I approached them with skepticism. But they were real. They explained how professional-level scams are evolving, and how no one — not even IT pros — is immune. They helped me trace the wallet flow and recover a portion of what I lost. Here’s my message to other Canadians who think they’re too smart to be fooled: these scams aren’t amateur anymore. They look real, feel real, and are built to bypass even trained eyes. If you’ve been hit — report it, talk about it, and don’t let shame keep you silent. It can happen to anyone.