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Security Center

Crypto Scam Center

The FBI reported over $12.5 billion in US cryptocurrency fraud losses in 2024 (FBI IC3 Internet Crime Report). Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, using AI deepfakes, social engineering, and fake platforms. Your best defense is knowledge.

$12.5B+

US crypto fraud losses (FBI IC3, 2024)

+245%

Deepfake fraud increase (2024)

$3.96B

Investment fraud / pig butchering (FBI IC3, 2023)

Common Scam Types

Impersonation Scams
AI-Enhanced
Critical

Scammers create fake social media profiles posing as celebrities, influencers, or crypto executives to trick victims into sending funds or clicking malicious links.

AI Deepfake Scams
AI-Enhanced
Critical

Criminals use AI-generated video and voice clones of real executives, influencers, and even victims' family members to promote fraudulent investments or authorize fake transactions.

Pig Butchering / Romance Scams
AI-Enhanced
Critical

Scammers build months-long relationships with victims through dating apps or social media, then manipulate them into investing in fraudulent crypto platforms controlled by the scammers.

Phishing Attacks
AI-Enhanced
Critical

Attackers use fake websites, fraudulent emails, and malicious wallet approval requests to steal login credentials, seed phrases, or trick victims into signing transactions that drain their funds.

Wallet Drainer Attacks
High

Malicious smart contracts, often disguised as NFT mints or token claims, are designed to drain all assets from a wallet the moment a user grants approval.

Fake Exchange Platforms
AI-Enhanced
High

Scammers build professional-looking but completely fraudulent exchange websites that accept deposits but never allow legitimate withdrawals.

Recovery Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

After victims lose money to a crypto scam, a second wave of scammers poses as recovery services, lawyers, or hackers who claim they can retrieve stolen funds — for an upfront fee.

Rug Pulls
High

Developers launch a token or DeFi project, hype it to attract investment, then abandon the project and drain all liquidity — leaving investors with worthless tokens.

Pump and Dump Schemes
Medium

Organized groups coordinate to buy a low-cap cryptocurrency, artificially inflate its price through hype, then sell their holdings at the peak — crashing the price on remaining investors.

Airdrop Scams
Medium

Fake token airdrops lure users into connecting their wallets to malicious websites or signing transactions that grant attackers access to drain their real assets.

SIM Swap Attacks
AI-Enhanced
Critical

Attackers convince phone carriers to transfer your phone number to their device, bypassing SMS-based two-factor authentication to drain crypto accounts.

Address Poisoning
High

Attackers send tiny transactions from wallet addresses that closely resemble ones you frequently use, hoping you'll copy the wrong address from transaction history.

Clipboard Hijacking Malware
High

Malware silently monitors your clipboard and replaces copied cryptocurrency addresses with the attacker's address, redirecting your transactions.

Fake Customer Support Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Scammers impersonate exchange or wallet customer support on Discord, Telegram, and Twitter, tricking victims into revealing seed phrases or granting remote access.

Ponzi & MLM Crypto Schemes
Critical

Recruitment-based crypto 'investment' programs that promise guaranteed high returns, using new investor deposits to pay earlier investors until the inevitable collapse.

Malicious Browser Extensions
High

Fake browser extensions mimicking MetaMask, Phantom, and other crypto wallets steal seed phrases, inject malicious code into web pages, and drain wallets.

Honeypot Tokens
High

Tokens designed to allow buying but block selling — once you buy, your funds are permanently trapped in the contract.

Compromised Influencer Accounts
Critical

Real verified accounts of influencers and projects are hacked and used to promote scams, exploiting established trust.

NFT Wash Trading & Market Manipulation
Medium

Self-trading NFTs between wallets to artificially inflate volume and floor prices, deceiving buyers into paying inflated prices.

Fake Crypto Job & Task Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Scammers offer fake remote jobs involving 'crypto tasks' that ultimately require deposits or wallet connections that drain funds.

Exchange Exit Scams & Insolvency
Critical

Legitimate-looking exchanges or ones that operated for years suddenly freeze withdrawals and disappear with user funds.

Typosquatting Attacks
High

Scammers register domains with slight misspellings of legitimate crypto sites to capture users who mistype URLs, redirecting them to phishing pages or wallet drainers.

QR Code Scams
Medium

Malicious QR codes at crypto ATMs, events, or printed materials direct victims to phishing sites or wallet drainer contracts disguised as legitimate payment or connection portals.

Fake Governance Proposals
High

Malicious DAO proposals designed to drain treasuries, backdoor protocol code, or grant attackers administrative control through seemingly legitimate governance processes.

Token Migration Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Fake 'upgrade your tokens' schemes that impersonate legitimate token migrations, tricking users into sending real tokens to scam contracts that return nothing.

Social Media Giveaway Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Classic 'send 1 ETH, get 2 back' scams using fake livestreams, automated bot armies, countdown timers, and impersonated celebrity accounts to create urgency and steal funds.

Cloud Mining Scams
High

Fake mining operations selling hash power contracts that don't exist, promising guaranteed daily returns from mining that never actually occurs, with $4.6B in global losses.

Fake Staking Platforms
High

Fraudulent platforms claim to stake your crypto with impossibly high daily returns, but funds are never actually staked — they are simply stolen.

Liquidity Sniping
Medium

Bots detect new token liquidity pool creation and buy massively in the first block, then dump on retail buyers who enter at inflated prices.

Fake Tax Refund Scams
AI-Enhanced
Medium

Scammers impersonate tax authorities claiming you owe or are owed crypto tax refunds, directing you to phishing sites that steal exchange credentials or wallet access.

Email Airdrop Phishing
AI-Enhanced
High

Targeted emails impersonating legitimate projects claim you qualify for an airdrop, with links leading to wallet drainer contracts that steal all connected assets.

Dating App Crypto Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Matches on dating apps gradually introduce crypto investing, using shorter timelines and smaller amounts than traditional pig butchering, with AI-generated profiles becoming increasingly common.

Ponzi Token Forks
AI-Enhanced
High

Scammers fork the code of legitimate DeFi protocols or tokens and launch copycat versions that function as Ponzi schemes — paying early investors with deposits from newer participants until the scheme inevitably collapses.

Fake Wallet Mobile Apps
Critical

Fraudulent mobile applications that impersonate legitimate crypto wallets (MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Phantom) appear in app stores, stealing seed phrases and draining funds the moment users import or create a wallet.

Social Media Romance Scams
AI-Enhanced
High

Scammers build romantic relationships on social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X) before convincing victims to invest in crypto through fraudulent platforms — a variant of pig butchering that originates outside dating apps.

Master Red Flags Checklist

If you encounter any of these, proceed with extreme caution or walk away entirely.

  1. 1Guaranteed returns or promises of risk-free profits — no legitimate investment can guarantee returns.
  2. 2'Send X to receive 2X back' offers from anyone, regardless of who they claim to be.
  3. 3Unsolicited DMs or messages about investment opportunities, especially from strangers on social media.
  4. 4Pressure to act immediately — legitimate opportunities do not evaporate in minutes.
  5. 5Requests for your seed phrase or private key. No legitimate service, wallet, or exchange will ever ask for these.
  6. 6Being asked to deposit more money in order to withdraw existing funds.
  7. 7An online romantic interest who steers conversations toward crypto investing.
  8. 8Websites with URLs that closely mimic legitimate platforms but have subtle misspellings or unusual domains.
  9. 9Projects with anonymous teams, no verifiable track record, and heavy marketing but no working product.
  10. 10Token contracts that are unverified, unaudited, or have suspicious owner-only functions.
  11. 11Celebrity endorsement videos appearing only on third-party channels, not the celebrity's official accounts.
  12. 12Unlocked liquidity on DEX token pairs — meaning developers can withdraw all funds at any time.
  13. 13Unexpected tokens appearing in your wallet with names directing you to claim on a website.
  14. 14Telegram or Discord groups sending coordinated 'buy now' signals with countdown timers.
  15. 15Recovery services that contact you after a loss promising to retrieve your funds for an upfront fee.
  16. 16AI-generated or deepfake content that cannot be verified through official channels.
  17. 17Platforms not listed on major aggregators (CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap) claiming high volume and legitimacy.
  18. 18Your phone suddenly loses signal or shows 'No Service' unexpectedly — possible SIM swap in progress.
  19. 19A transaction in your wallet history shows an address very similar to one you frequently use — likely address poisoning.
  20. 20You are asked to install a browser extension from an unofficial link to 'connect your wallet.'
  21. 21Customer support contacts you first via DM on Discord, Telegram, or Twitter — real support never does this.
  22. 22An investment requires you to recruit others to earn higher returns — hallmark of a Ponzi or MLM scheme.
  23. 23A token lets you buy freely but transactions fail when you try to sell — classic honeypot.
  24. 24A verified influencer's account suddenly promotes a token or airdrop they've never mentioned before.
  25. 25An NFT collection shows massive volume but very few unique buyers.
  26. 26A job offer requires you to make 'activation deposits' or connect your wallet to start working.
  27. 27An exchange restricts withdrawals citing 'maintenance' or 'security upgrades' for extended periods.
  28. 28A website URL has subtle misspellings of a legitimate platform (e.g., 'coinbse' instead of 'coinbase').
  29. 29You're asked to scan a QR code to 'verify' or 'connect' your wallet at an event or ATM.
  30. 30A DAO proposal includes executable code that hasn't been independently audited or reviewed.
  31. 31You receive an email about a 'mandatory token migration' with a deadline.
  32. 32A livestream promises to double any crypto you send — this is always a scam, no exceptions.
  33. 33A cloud mining contract guarantees fixed daily returns regardless of network difficulty or market conditions.
  34. 34A staking platform promises fixed daily returns of 1%+ regardless of market conditions
  35. 35A new token pumps 100x in minutes after liquidity is added — likely liquidity sniped
  36. 36You receive an email from a 'tax authority' about crypto tax refunds you need to claim urgently
  37. 37An email claims you qualify for a token airdrop but requires you to connect your wallet to claim
  38. 38A dating app match steers conversation toward crypto investing within the first few days

Test Your Knowledge

Crypto Scam Awareness Quiz

Test your ability to identify cryptocurrency scams with 80 scenario-based questions. Each question presents a real-world situation and tests whether you can spot the danger.

Report suspected scams to your local authorities, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov), and the platform where the scam originated.

This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Scam techniques evolve rapidly — always verify information through official sources and stay up to date with the latest threats.

Take Action: Protect Yourself

Now that you know the threats, take proactive steps to secure your crypto.

Sources & further reading

We prioritise primary sources. Where a topic moves quickly (regulation, security incidents), we re-check sources on the cadence shown by the page's "Next review" date.