The URL Difference That Cost Me Thousands
A single letter. That’s all it took. One letter in a URL I didn’t notice — and my crypto wallet was gone before my coffee cooled. If you’ve ever rushed through logging in, trusting your muscle memory more than your own eyes, you might know the sinking feeling I’m talking about.
It started on an ordinary Tuesday morning. I was juggling messages from three clients, watching the price of Bitcoin creep upward, and trying to sneak in a quick transfer before a meeting. The site looked exactly like the one I always used — same logo, same color scheme, same friendly little chat bubble in the corner. The only difference was invisible to my distracted brain: an extra character in the web address.
I remember typing in my credentials, hitting enter, and feeling a small flicker of relief when the dashboard appeared. It was familiar enough to quiet any doubts. But about two hours later, when I logged in again to move funds, my balance was zero. Not a low balance. Not a pending transaction. Zero.
The realization hit like ice water. I retraced my steps, clicking through my history, and there it was — the counterfeit domain. One character off from the real one, registered just days before. The thieves hadn’t just taken my coins; they’d taken the sense of safety I thought I had online.
That was the moment my perspective shifted. I’d always thought I was too careful to fall for phishing. I use two-factor authentication. I check for the padlock icon. I even keep my recovery phrases offline. But I learned that morning that scammers don’t have to break into your system if they can trick you into opening the door yourself.
Here’s what I wish I had done differently:
Look at the address bar every single time before logging in. Even when you’re in a hurry, even when the site looks exactly right. Your eyes are the first line of defense.
Bookmark official websites instead of relying on search results or links. A cloned site can be pushed to the top of search rankings for just long enough to catch you.
Use a hardware wallet for significant amounts. Keeping large holdings on an exchange or online wallet is like leaving stacks of cash on a café table.
Slow down when it comes to money moves. The 15 seconds I thought I saved that morning cost me more than I want to admit.
The loss stung, but the habit changes stuck. I don’t treat URLs as background noise anymore. Every login is deliberate, every address verified twice. The paranoia is mild compared to the alternative.
If you ever run into something that feels off — a site, a link, a too-good-to-be-true offer — trust that instinct and check. And if you suspect you’ve been targeted or see a scam others should know about, report it to Service Complaint Alert (SCA) for guidance and assistance.