When everything crypto felt fresh and wild, cryptsy exploded on the crypto exchange market. People worldwide believed they would catch that next great coin wave and maybe overnight become a millionaire. The actual trade? a digital market humming with coins more reminiscent of morning cereal than of investments. People would be exchanging Dogecoin for Feathercoin, same as they would have traded baseball cards. For early money hustlers, some claimed it was a paradise. Read more here.

Let us clarify, though—Cryptsy was not for the timid. Two things were well known about it: its unusual coin collection and customer service that might cause a snail blushing in a race. You sent Bitcoin, blinked, and occasionally your money seemed to vanish into cyberspace. You opened a support ticket and could have forgotten it existed before obtaining an answer.

Guarding? Hoo-boy. Stories flew around about wallets “accidentally” emptied, coins walking about, withdrawals taking days or weeks like they were on vacation and didn’t want to come home. If you squinted strongly enough, the red flags were all around.

People plunged in nonetheless. Why is it? Mostly, hope and greed drive me. If you pushed concerns aside and simply clicked the “trade” button, there were gains to be earned. It went beyond Bitcoin or Litecoin. For Cryptsy, it felt like a massive casino where everyone thought, if they only kept playing, they may strike the jackpot. Really, some did—at first.

But then there were rumors. Problems were beginning to develop. Users found coins stopping out and gummed-up withdrawals. Panic struck. Forum threads turned on like Christmas. Some tried to arrange, search for answers, create enough commotion to gain a reply. Others merely shrugged and carried on—live by the sword, die by the sword.

The festivities drew to an abrupt stop. The communication fell apart. Charges of theft, litigation, news releases—all of which create anarchy. As it happens, millions of cryptocurrencies had vanished. PooF is like a nasty magic show. Not exactly delighted were the people leaving empty bags. Some gathered, trying to recover what they could, but following crypto ghosts is not a simple chore.

That serves as the warning story. The teachings still hold true if you consider trading cryptocurrencies right now. Be careful. Should something smell strange, avoid plugging your nose and wish for the best. Spread your risk, check the digital locks, avoid trusting a website just because it seems bright or loaded with more cash than a vending machine.

Although Cryptsy is gone, its echo is strong. Sure, wild digital gold runs bring out fireworks, but someone always ends up cleaning the trash. Remember the ravenous ghosts of past exchanges these days with better platforms and all that stuff. They are not haunting for nothing.