"If this book can save just one person from losing their money to a scam, crypto or non, then it has done a good thing".

What a an absolute journey into the Wild West of crypto from conception to modern day. Wear your seatbelt because it's a bumpy ride. Erica Stanford is an incredibly knowledgable individual who can outline the intricacies of block chain currencies in layman's terms and really breakdown how 98% of every Initial Coin Offering (ICO) has been a scam from day one. She delivers hilarious and heartbreaking case studies without boring the individual or gatekeeping the information behind industry terms.

In all honesty, I don't follow crypto nor have I ever been aware about the regulations surrounding it's existence in the past but it's truly fascinating and has fuelled an interest in learning more. There will always be scams and the best defence is preparation. Additionally, the book didn't present a one-sided doomsday piece, but a factual history. It very clearly highlighted the many benefits and real-life value of blockchain in a world where printed money is less valuable than toilet paper in some countries. The only catch is that an entirely non-regulated system won't help anyone if there are bad-will actors involved.

Finally, I just want to say that I absolutely died at the portion about John McAfee and 'the dickening'. For anyone who has ever used McAfee virus protection, or simply knows the name, you NEED to learn what he's been up to in the crypto world. It's literally not believable and yet it's true. I'm just hoping he prints a memoir at some point.

Thank you to NetGalley for the enlightening and valuable ARC.

Containing many fascinating and extremely depressing stories of fraud, subterfuge and illegal activities, this book is a salutary tale for all those who think that get rich quick schemes work- for every dream there’s a thief waiting to pounce.

Fantastic book. A fast paced rollercoaster ride charting the history of cryptocurrency. The book explains what it is and goes through how these (most often) scams work, how they’re made to look legit and how people profit from them because they steal investments away from those who are stupid and greedy. The book covers many different types of crypto including the now infamous ruja ignatova Ponzi scheme.

The book is very easy to read and I’d finished it in a couple of hours. Definitely one for those who have heard the podcast about the crypto queen on bbc sounds,

4/5