Hello, everyone.

Several hours ago, I had received a message from a friend's account (which I later found out was compromised) saying they had accidentally falsely reported me and telling me to contact a moderator on Discord, and when I did, the "moderator" asked me to send them some money to try and regain my account while they made me make another account. This should have been an obvious red flag, but my anxiety and desperation to get the account back got the better of me, as well as them sending some official-looking screenshots that I later found out were fake, and assurances that the higher ups were looking into the problem.

The money was sent through cryptocurrency and a gift card, both of which I later found out were irreversible. Soon, I sensed that something was very suspicious, and through some external help I realized that I was indeed swindled. All in all, a little over a thousand dollars was removed from my bank account. I feel like absolute garbage, especially for this absurd lapse in judgement, and once I realized the scam, I had to change many of my login details and cancel my debit card, as well as contact Discord support and I eventually got my account back.

This entire experience has taught me to be on the lookout for potential scams, even through those I had contact with whose Discord accounts were already compromised. I really wish I could get at least some of the money back, but as far as I am aware, it is WAY easier said than done.

This journal is also written to spread awareness of scams like these. If you see something like this pop up and it is from one of your friends' accounts, DO NOT FALL INTO THE SAME TRAP THAT I DID.