Crypto headlines can create an irresistible fear of missing out. Bitcoin eclipsing $120,000. Ethereum powering the rise of decentralized finance. Meme coins and NFTs turning minor sums into sudden, life-changing wealth. The back page tends to tell a darker, overlooked story. Coins collapsing by 70% or more. Major exchanges like FTX and Celsius vanishing with customer assets. Scams like OneCoin and the Squid Game Token torched investments in a matter of hours. Projects that once promised revolutionary change now trading for pennies on the dollar. The reality is that extreme volatility and risk are the norm, not the exception, in crypto. For every front-page success story, there are dozens of cautionary tales. Before diving in, investors should understand the other side of the story — the “backpage” headlines that rarely get the spotlight, but offer the most important lessons. Pulling Back the Curtain: Understanding the Risk of Crypto While most headlines revolve around Bitcoin and Ethereum, there are thousands of cryptocurrencies listed worldwide, ranging from established networks with legitimate utility and broad adoption to obscure tokens with little transparency or utility. The vast majority of