Because the worst part wasn’t the money. The worst part was that the police later traced the command-and-control server to an IP address in the same city. The same block, even.

“I need to tell you about a prank,” he said, his voice shaking. “And I need a lawyer.”

“Thanks for the delivery. -M”

Two days later, Kyle came to work pale and quiet. He didn't brag about his portfolio. He didn't check his phone. He just sat at his desk, staring at a letter from Workers Trust’s fraud department.

The target was Kyle. Kyle was the office braggart, the guy who loudly checked his six-figure crypto portfolio every morning, the one who’d just bought a Tesla and made sure everyone knew it. Leo thought a little digital humbling would be harmless. A five-second siren. A moment of panic. A good laugh.

Leo learned a brutal truth that week. In the digital world, there is no such thing as a harmless prank. There are only tools. And every tool, no matter how innocent it looks, can be picked up by someone who knows exactly what to do with it.