I can no longer go to college. I'm an idiot, a moron, and dumb. This should never happen to anyone. My life savings were stolen from me—$17,900 of $19,800 to be exact. It was a crypto ATM scam. I'm 21, and I can't afford anything anymore, honestly. I don't know how I fell for it.
I called a number pretending to be PayPal, and it redirected me to a number saying they were the FTC. They said my identity had been compromised. The thing is, my information actually had been leaked before, because my previous job had employee private information exposed. That's the main reason I gave any credence to the fake payment in the first place—stuff like this had actually happened to me.
They knew everything about me: my name, immediate family, even my SSN. I should have known as soon as the SSN was said on the phone. They made me go to my bank, and at that point I confronted them and told them they were a scam and I wasn't going to do what they wanted. They threatened to report my parents to ICE. I felt hopeless. What if I hung up and then ICE showed up at my front door? They know my address, they could make a false claim. I was just afraid. They took everything from me in bitcoin, and I feel like I let this happen to me.
Hell, I'm an IT major—clearly not a smart one, but still, I should've realized from the jump. I was so happy that morning, and I think that was why I let clearly sketchy things slide. It was the first day of spring break, and I had planned to cook for my family to help out my parents. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. I've reported to multiple institutions, but I know that due to the nature of crypto, the chances I ever get my money back are closer to zero than anything.
And even if they find something, it will most likely be subject to pro rata, meaning money is splintered to ensure all victims of an asset seizure get a fair share. I'm afraid of where I am right now. The only reason I haven't done something that can't be undone is because I know it'll devastate my parents and brothers.
I was just afraid. I would give my life for my family. I'm not exactly passionate about IT; I was doing it to ensure I could get a steady job to help my parents in life. I don't really care much for my dreams, so long as I can help make their lives easier, then I'll be happy. They came to this country that seemingly hates them just to possibly make a better life. I'm sorry if you read all this. I hope life goes as well as it can for all of you.
Please talk to people, because this should honestly never happen to young adults. I'm fucking dumb, man. I don't really feel like I even deserve to go to my current classes anymore, and I feel like my life is meaningless. I was scammed and extorted, and I wish that no one has to experience something like this. All I feel is shame for my life. I love my family, and I just didn't want to be the reason our family would be destroyed. The scammer has ruined my life. I don't know... I don't know.