Do this immediately • Stop sending any more money right now • Do not send a “small test payment” to get their attention • Do not pay “release fees,” “verification fees,” or “final charges” if they suddenly come back • Save every chat, email, phone number, wallet address, payment receipt, and screenshot immediately • Secure any wallets, bank cards, exchange accounts, or payment apps you used If crypto was involved, review every transaction on Etherscan before doing anything else. What’s happening (simple explanation) This is usually an extraction-and-disappearance scam pattern. The scam often follows this sequence: • trust is built • payment is requested • money is received • communication suddenly slows, changes, or stops completely Sometimes they disappear completely. Other times they come back later with: • “your payment is stuck” • “compliance issue” • “tax required” • “we need one final verification” The silence itself is often part of the scam—not a technical delay.…