●In 2010, 16-year-old Chinese high schooler Wei Zhang discovered a strange new idea on obscure online forums: $BTC . Drawn to the concept of a decentralized currency — and armed with curiosity and basic tech skills — Wei decided to give it a shot.
●With just $10 in savings and Bitcoin under a penny, he bought nearly 100,000 $BTC — a figure that seemed trivial at the time.
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From Teen Investor to Crypto Visionary
●As Bitcoin rose from obscurity to headlines, Wei’s small stake exploded into a fortune. By 2013, he was sitting on life-changing wealth.
●Not content to simply hold, at 19 he launched CryptoLeap, the first cryptocurrency margin trading exchange — letting traders borrow funds to amplify gains. The idea spread quickly.
●By 2017, Wei was a crypto heavyweight, holding 99,000 BTC and running one of the era’s most influential platforms.
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One Click — Billions Lost
●In early 2018, Wei got what looked like a partnership email from a respected VC firm. It came with a polished proposal and a “secure” document link.
He clicked.
●It was a phishing trap. Hackers stole his credentials, took control of CryptoLeap, and drained its wallets — including Wei’s stash. The coins vanished into a maze of anonymous transfers.
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Fallout
●The theft made headlines, triggered user panic, lawsuits, and regulatory probes. Bitcoin’s price tumbled. Crushed, Wei stepped down as CEO and closed the exchange.
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An $11 Billion “What If”
●Today, those lost coins would be worth over $11 billion — making his story one of crypto’s most infamous cautionary tales. In digital finance, fortunes can vanish in seconds.
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Reinvention
●Wei didn’t disappear. He pivoted to cybersecurity, becoming an advocate for online safety and stronger protections in the crypto space — a living reminder of how one click can change everything.
