Avoid Scams

Familiarize yourself with some of the most commonly observed bitcoin scams to help protect yourself and your finances. Three principles cover the foundation of avoiding most of these: bitcoin transactions are irreversible, so verify before you send; verify the entire receiving address, not just the first or last characters; and remember that no legitimate person, business, or support team will ever ask for your seed phrase or private key.

Address Poisoning

Attackers send small or zero-value transactions to your wallet from addresses that closely resemble — in the first and last few characters — addresses you frequently use. The goal is for you to later copy the attacker's address from your transaction history when intending to copy a known one. Independent on-chain analysis has identified tens of thousands of such attempts on the Bitcoin blockchain since 2023. Always verify the entire address before sending, and prefer using a saved address book over copying from history.

Bitcoin ATM and Kiosk Coercion

Scammers impersonate government agents, law enforcement, or family members in distress and pressure victims — often older adults — to deposit cash at a bitcoin ATM to resolve a fabricated legal issue or to help a relative. No government agency or court will ever require payment in bitcoin. If anyone pressures you to deposit cash at a kiosk under time pressure, pause and verify the request through an independent channel before acting.

Blackmail

Be wary of blackmail attempts in which strangers threaten you in exchange for bitcoin as a means of extortion. One common execution of this method is by email, wherein the sender transmits a message claiming that he/she has hacked into your computer and is operating it via remote desktop protocol (RDP). The sender says that a key logger has been installed and that your web cam was used to record you doing something you may not want others to know about. The sender provides two options - send bitcoin to suppress the material, or send nothing and see the content sent to your email contacts and spread across your social networks. Scammers use stolen email lists and other leaked user information to run this scheme across thousands of people en masse.

Drainer Scams

Attackers operate fake websites that prompt users to connect a wallet and sign a transaction. The signed transaction grants the attacker permission to transfer assets out of the wallet. Be cautious about which websites you connect a wallet to, and review every transaction prompt carefully before signing — the transaction details, not the website's appearance, determine what is actually authorized.

Fake Exchanges

As bitcoin has become more popular, more people have sought to acquire it. Unfortunately, nefarious people have taken advantage of this and have been known to set up fake bitcoin exchanges. These fake exchanges may trick users by offering extremely competitive market prices that lull them into thinking they're getting a steal, with quick and easy access to some cheap bitcoin. Be sure to use a reputable exchange when buying or selling bitcoin.

Fake Hardware Wallets

Counterfeit hardware wallets are sold on third-party marketplaces, sometimes with a pre-generated seed phrase known to the attacker, or with modified firmware. Funds deposited to addresses derived from such a device can be drained at any time. Buy hardware wallets only from the manufacturer or an authorized reseller, verify packaging integrity on arrival, and always generate the seed phrase yourself on first use.

Fake Support and Recovery

Scammers pose as support staff for wallets or exchanges — often after a user posts a question publicly — and ask for the seed phrase, private key, or remote access to the device under the pretext of verifying the account. A second variant targets victims of previous scams, promising to recover lost funds for an upfront fee. No legitimate support representative will ever ask for your seed phrase or private key. No legitimate firm offers guaranteed cryptocurrency recovery.

Free Giveaways

Due to the viral nature of how information spreads across the internet, scammers seek to take advantage of people by offering free giveaways of bitcoin or other digital currencies in exchange for sending a small amount to register, or by providing some personal information. When you see this on a website or social network, it's best to immediately report the content as fraudulent, so that others don't fall victim.

Impersonation

Unfortunately it's very easy for con-artists to create social media accounts and impersonate people. Oftentimes they lie in wait, until the person they're trying to impersonate publishes content. The impersonator then replies to it with a follow-up message or call to action - like a free giveaway - using an account that looks almost identical to the original poster or author. This makes it seem like the original person is saying it. Alternatively, impersonators may also try to use these same fake accounts to trick others via private or direct message into taking some kind of action in an attempt to defraud or compromise. Never participate in free giveaways, and if you receive an odd request via someone in your network, it's best to double check to confirm the authenticity via multiple mediums of communication.

AI-Generated Impersonation

AI tools now allow scammers to convincingly impersonate trusted people — family members, well-known bitcoin figures, or company executives — in video and voice. Common patterns include fake live giveaway streams featuring deepfaked figures, voice clones of family members in distress requesting urgent bitcoin payments, and fake support calls. Verify any unexpected request for bitcoin through a second, independent channel before acting. The technology improves quickly, so do not rely on visual or audio quality to assess authenticity.

Malware

Hackers have become very creative at finding ways to steal from people. When sending bitcoin, always verify the entire receiving address — not just the first and last few characters. Some malware programs, once installed, will silently change bitcoin addresses when they're pasted from a user's clipboard, so that all of the bitcoin unknowingly gets sent to the attacker's address instead. Modern campaigns deliver such malware not only through directly installed software, but also through compromised open-source packages, fake repositories, and trojanized applications distributed via package managers and code-hosting platforms. Since there is little chance of reversing a bitcoin transaction once it's confirmed by the network, noticing this after the fact means it's too late and most likely can't be recovered. It's a good idea to be super-cautious about what programs you allow to have administrator access on your devices. An up-to-date, reputable virus scanner can also help but is not foolproof.

Meet in Person

When buying or selling bitcoin locally, a counterparty may ask you to meet in person to conduct the exchange. If it isn't a trusted party that you already know, this is a very risky proposition that could result in you getting robbed or injured. Con-artists have also been known to exchange counterfeit fiat currency in exchange for bitcoin. Consider using a non-custodial peer-to-peer platform with multisig or escrow features in place of meeting in person.

Money Transfer Fraud

Do not reply to emails or inbound communications from strangers telling you they need help moving some money, where in exchange for your services, you'll get a portion of the funds.

Phishing Emails

Beware of emails purported to be from services you use soliciting you for action, such as resetting your password, or clicking through to provide some sort of interaction with regard to your account. It can be very difficult to spot the difference in a fake email that's trying to entice you to compromise your account, and a legitimate one sent on behalf of a product or service that you use. When in doubt, consider triple-checking the authenticity of the communication by forwarding it to the company, using the contact email address on their website, calling them on the telephone, and/or reaching out to them via their official social media accounts.

Phishing Websites

Phishing websites often go hand-in-hand with phishing emails. Phishing emails can link to a replica website designed to steal login credentials or prompt one to install malware. Do not install software or log in to a website unless you are 100% sure it isn't a fake one. Phishing websites may also appear as sponsored results on search engines or in app marketplaces used by mobile devices. Be wary that you aren't downloading a fake app or clicking a sponsored link to a fake website.

Quishing (QR Code Phishing)

Quishing is phishing delivered through malicious QR codes. Attackers paste fraudulent QR codes over legitimate ones in physical locations such as parking meters, restaurants, or charging stations, and embed them in emails, flyers, or advertisements. When scanned, the code redirects to a phishing website or to a fake wallet that captures funds or credentials. Before scanning a QR code, consider whether the source is trustworthy. After scanning, verify the destination URL and never enter wallet credentials or seed phrases into a site reached only by QR.

Pig Butchering and Investment Scams

A long-running trust-building scam in which the attacker — often via dating apps or social media — builds a relationship over weeks or months before introducing a fake investment platform. Victims are encouraged to deposit progressively larger amounts; small early withdrawals build false confidence; when the victim attempts a large withdrawal, the platform demands fees, taxes, or verification deposits that never end. Investment scams of this type are now the largest single category of crypto-related loss reported to law enforcement. Be skeptical of any investment opportunity introduced through a personal relationship that originated online, and of platforms whose returns sound too good to be true.

Ponzi Schemes

Do not participate in offerings where one or more people offer you a guaranteed return in exchange for an upfront deposit. This is known as a ponzi scheme, wherein future depositors' principals are used to pay previous investors. The end result is usually a lot of people losing a lot of money.

Pyramid Schemes

A pyramid scheme promises returns to participants based on the number of people they invite to join. This enables the scheme to grow virally and rapidly, however, it most often doesn't result in any kind of meaningful return for the members and/or those invited who also joined. Never invite your personal network under the sole goal of accumulating rewards or returns from a product or service, and do not contribute your own capital at the behest of others to accelerate the process.

Prize Giveaways

Similarly to free giveaways, prize giveaway scams trick people into taking action or supplying information about themselves. For example, supplying a name, address, email and phone number in order to claim a prize. This can allow a hacker to attempt to use the information to gain access to accounts by impersonating you.

Pump and Dumps

Do not trust people who entice you or others to invest because they claim that they know what the bitcoin price is going to be. In a pump and dump scheme, a person (or persons) try to artificially drive up or pump the price so that they can dump their holdings for a profit.

Ransomware

This is a type of malware that partially or completely blocks access to a device unless you pay a ransom in bitcoin. It's best to consult the advice of a trusted computer professional for removal assistance, rather than paying the ransom. Be careful about what programs you install on your devices, especially those that request administrator access. Also be sure to double-check that the application you are downloading isn't a fake one that's impersonating a legitimate one you've used in the past.

Scam Coins

Be careful when investing in alternative coins (altcoins) and tokens. Scam tokens entice users with aggressive marketing and inflated promises, then collapse once early holders exit their positions — a pattern often called a rug pull. Common tactics include fake token launches on decentralized exchanges, ticker squatting (registering tokens with names nearly identical to legitimate ones to confuse buyers), airdrops designed to inflate apparent traction, and the use of the word Bitcoin in token names to suggest a legitimate relationship that does not exist. Treat unsolicited offers, urgency-driven sales, and projects without verifiable open-source development as red flags.

SIM Swap

An attacker convinces a mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a SIM the attacker controls, then uses SMS-based two-factor authentication to access your exchange or email accounts. Where possible, use authenticator apps or hardware security keys instead of SMS for two-factor authentication, and ask your mobile carrier to add a port-out PIN to your account.