I just remembered an interesting case in the market that clearly shows why crypto traders need to be extremely cautious.

A pump is a phenomenon I have observed for many years on various exchanges. The essence is simple — a group of participants artificially raises the price of an asset through large buy orders, then sharply sells at the peak. The result — some make money, others lose it.

Such a situation recently happened with UNFI. The exchange announced the delisting of the coin, and most traders thought — logically, we should go short, since this should be a sure profit. But the opposite happened. Within an hour, the price increased by 480% and then sharply dropped. A wild jump.

I have fallen for such manipulations several times. That’s why I constantly emphasize — a pump is not just about raising the price, it’s about risks that are often underestimated. If you go short, definitely set a stop-loss. If a 500-600% increase is not part of your strategy, that’s a red flag.

New investors often fall for promises of quick profits, but that’s exactly what bigger players are betting on. A pump is a form of market manipulation that can cost you dearly.

Most importantly — always understand what you are doing. Don’t follow the crowd blindly. Learn to recognize the signs of such operations and protect your assets. On Gate, you can observe these movements in real-time if you know what to look for.