Thread by @splatatouille

[1/24] ⚠️IMPORTANT⚠️ DISCORD USERS PLEASE READ FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!!!!!

there's a scam going around on Discord that's dangerous and genuinely convincing to some! i unfortunately fell victim to it, and once i realized what was going on, it was too late.

[more info in 🧵 thread]

[2/24] apparently this method of scamming users is not new and has been done across different platforms, including steam and facebook, but i had no idea, which left me unprepared and easy to manipulate.

[3/24] hopefully by giving a play by play of what transpired, it will better prepare others of what to expect so they can avoid this scary situation, and an unnecessary amount of stress.

[4/24] the scam opened with one of my old mutuals (whose account was compromised, unbeknownst to me) messaging me stating they needed my help and that they falsely reported me. said both my account and IP will be permanently banned from discord if i don't file an appeal ASAP.

[5/24] they seemed apologetic and frantic, which made it seem real to me, and then provided a fake screenshot of a discord email states the offense, a ticket number, and steps on how to file an appeal when i asked for details. at first glance it looks pretty convincing.

[6/24] the hacked account then urged me to reach out to the "Discord support member" mentioned in the email, saying that they have been doing the same and that if i acted fast enough i can salvage my account and any access to Discord.

[7/24] the "Discord support member" i was directed to went by the alias Maxime Nay, and while there are others (not just this one), they all pose as official members of the discord support and safety team.

[8/24] that account is fraudulent. it should be known that Discord support does not directly DM users via their own platform to help with requests. they can be reached via their site, email, or here on twitter. i did not know better and was desperate, so i fell prey to the lie.

[9/24] after i got a hold of this "Max Nay" person, they asked for a statement from me confirming the reports against me were false. once given, he proceeded to insist they were investigating the situation, and i just needed to go through a few more steps to verify my account.

[10/24] after doing so, he then showed a transcript of my account details (to make it seem real) and asked to confirm my age, country, and email which all seemed related to my identity, then requested my Discord ID.

[11/24] i gave it, then he proceeded to request i temporarily change my discord email to a burner email he provided "user+(discordname)@/discordsupport.com" or something of that nature for "screening". this step is how they steal your account.

[12/24] after this point, if you agree to do this, you are locked to the scam email. even if you come to your senses, any attempts to shut down the scam by blocking the fraudulent accounts will result in them kicking you off your own account.

[13/24] i made the mistake of letting my anxiety get the best of me though, and kept agreeing to everything despite the red flags glaring at every step. after i was locked in, "Max" began asking weird things of me.

[14/24] began asking for screenshots of my bank's homepage and my recent transactions on the card linked to my Discord for my Nitro subscription, but to also cover personal information like acc/routing #'s, personal address, etc to make it seem my privacy was a priority (ironic)

[15/24] supposedly those were to verify the bank account was valid and active for whatever reason.

[16/24] after agreeing to send those in, he then explained the next step of the "verification process" which involved transferring a sum of money using 3rd party apps while being screen recorded to "ensure i'm not engaging in any fraudulent activity".

[17/24] at this point sirens start going off in my head and i try to take a minute to evaluate what's going on. however, any small amount of time i took away from talking to this person, they kept pressuring me, insisting the verification process is time sensitive-

[18/24] -and if i took too long, they would terminate the process. i even asked for an extension because i had to go to work soon, but they kept insisting they're trying to help, and that the remainder of the process should be quick. i even got these weird emails.

[19/24] fast forward to 9 hours later, i've already missed a whole shift, transferred large sums of money i didn't have out of my checking account with promises i would get reimbursed after the process was over. but it just kept going. it never ended.

[20/24] i'm extremely tired and desperate, so i reach out to my husband for help and he asks if i'm entirely sure i'm not being scammed. in response, i tell him "i don't know" and showed him the whole thing. he did some brief research, and snapped me to my senses-

[21/24] -saying, "stop talking to that person immediately. block them now. it's a scam", so i did. only for me to get locked out of my account immediately after. big surprise. cherry on top, i received this fake Discord email made to have me believe i was actually banned.

[22/24] fast forward to the next day, i'm frantically cancelling all my cards, calling my bank to dispute the money i lost, and submitting a ticket to ACTUAL Discord support VIA THE WEBSITE to recover my account.

[23/24] i really wish it was some sick joke, but i lost out on almost $1,000, my checking account got overdrafted, and my Discord account got compromised. i unprivated just to spread awareness about this in hopes that others can be prepared and avoid meeting the same fate i did.

[24/24] please stay safe out there and be wary. this stuff is no joke. i never in my life would have thought i would be in this position, but it can happen to literally anyone. there are a lot of stories like this one out there, so please please PLEASE be careful.

EDIT: forgot to mention, if your acct still gets compromised, LOCK ANY CARDS you have linked obviously, but also send in a ticket to support via their site ASAP explaining the situation. because your h@cked acct will be used to scam ppl in your friends list and servers you share.