[Episode 3] What is a Pre-sale? ~The Trap Hidden in That Sweet Sound~
Oh no! A phone call about "crypto asset investment" to my father... Is it a scam? The story of how I, a housewife, studied hard and saved him (a true story)
💻 My first time hearing about "pre-sales," "listings," and "staking"
The words "pre-sale," "staking," and "listing" that I heard from my father.
Honestly, I had never heard of any of them.
I had heard words like crypto assets and Bitcoin on the news, but
I had never thought about doing it myself, and I knew nothing about the technical side.
But this time, I decided I would properly research it myself to "protect my family."
🔍 Days spent as a search fanatic
First, I searched for "pre-sale crypto assets" on Google.
I also watched several videos for beginners on YouTube.
As I researched, I found out that a pre-sale is—
a special timing when crypto assets are sold at a discounted price to a limited number of investors before they are listed on an exchange
I understood that.
But when I searched further with words like "pre-sale scam"...
"I invested a large amount but couldn't withdraw it"
"It was supposed to be listed, but then there was no word"
"The management disappeared"
I found manyarticles and personal accounts of damage caseslike these.
⚠️ Suspicion #1: "Who is selling this?"
In the first place, who is selling this"pre-sale"?
Is it okay for individuals to sell it? Is there an official channel?
Even when I looked, I couldn't find anything like an "official website of the company holding the pre-sale."
The materials my father was shown were all in English, and the white paper was at a level I could barely read using Google Translate.
"It feels like they are keeping everything 'vague'..."
My distrust gradually grew.
⚠️ Sense of unease #2: "Limited" to whom?
The salesperson apparently said "only now" and "specially for you" many times.
But as far as I can tell, even though they call it "limited," I can find many similar solicitations online.
The LINE group my father joined is also,
likely a "staged environment" shown to others in the same way.
I've started to feel that way.
⚠️ Sense of unease #3: Who decided the "pre-sale price"?
In the world of investing, "who decides the price and how" is very important.
But I don't understandwhat the basis is for calling that "pre-sale price" cheapat all.
Moreover, it's being sold overseas. It's not listed on any major Japanese exchanges, and
I don't see it on any cryptocurrency news sites either.
"If this information isn't generally available, why is the 'solicitation' so active...?"
🧠 The moment my housewife's intuition kicked in
Somehow, it's a "too good to be true" story
Classic words like "special," "limited," and "only now"
The atmosphere of trying to make you believe something you don't really understand through documents full of English
I thought to myself.
"Maybe this is targeting 'people without knowledge'."
"Maybe my father became a target because he is 'someone trying to learn'..."
Thinking about it that way, I couldn't blame my father.
That's exactly why I decidedthat I must investigate thoroughly and make a calm judgment.
▶ Episode 4: Is it true that prices soar after listing? ~The psychology of wanting to believe and the traps of investing~
→ Next time: Is it true that "listing = price increase"? What are the facts I discovered after investigating?