Phishing Scams Within the context of the cryptocurrency industry, phishing scams target information pertaining to online wallets. Specifically, scammers are interested in crypto wallet private keys, which are the keys required to access cryptocurrency.

Their method is like many standard scams—they send an email with links that lead holders to a specially created website and ask them to enter private keys. When the hackers have this information, they can steal the cryptocurrency. Phishing scams are among the most common attacks on consumers. According to the FBI, more than , people fell victim to phishing scams in Blackmail and Extortion Scams Another popular social engineering method scammers use is to send blackmail emails.

In such emails, scam artists claim to have a record of adult websites or other illicit web pages visited by the user and threaten to expose them unless they share private keys or send cryptocurrency to the scammer. These cases represent a criminal extortion attempt and should be reported to an enforcement agency such as the FBI.

Investment or Business Opportunity Scams The old adage "if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is" still rings true, and is one to keep in mind for anyone venturing into investing in general. It is especially true for cryptocurrencies. Countless profit-seeking speculators turn to misleading websites offering so-called guaranteed returns or other setups for which investors must invest large sums of money for even larger guaranteed returns.

Unfortunately, these bogus guarantees often lead to financial disaster when individuals try to get their money out and find that they can't. What's important to know is that although crypto-based investments or business opportunities may sound lucrative, it doesn't always reflect reality. For example, some scammers create fake websites for ICOs and instruct users to deposit cryptocurrency into a compromised wallet.

In other instances, the ICO itself may be at fault. Founders could distribute unregulated tokens or mislead investors about their products through false advertising. Rug Pulls A rug pull occurs when project members raise capital or crypto to fund a project and then suddenly remove all of the liquidity and disappear. The project is abandoned, and investors lose everything they have contributed.

Cloud Mining Scams Platforms will market to retail buyers and investors to get them to put upfront capital down to secure an ongoing stream of mining power and reward. These platforms do not actually own the hash rate they say they do and will not deliver the rewards after your down payment.

While cloud mining is not necessarily a scam, due diligence must be conducted on the platform before investment. How to Spot Cryptocurrency Scams Cryptocurrency scams are easy to spot when you know what you're looking for. Legitimate cryptocurrencies have readily available disclosure, with detailed information about the blockchain and associated tokens.

Read the White Paper Cryptocurrencies go through a development process. Before this process, there is generally a document published for the public to read called a white paper that describes the protocols, blockchain, outlines the formulas, and explains how the entire network will function.

Fake cryptocurrencies do not do this—the people behind them publish "white papers" that are poorly written, have figures that don't add up, tell you how they envision the money being used or don't generally seem like a proper white paper. For comparison, you can read through the white papers of well-known cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin to see how they are written and explained.

Identify Team Members White papers should always identify the members and developers behind the cryptocurrency. There are cases where an open-source crypto project might not have named developers—but this is typical for open-source.

Most coding, comments, and discussions can be viewed on Github or GitLab. Some projects use forums and applications like Discord for discussion. If you can't find any of these and the white paper is full of errors, it is likely a scam. Look For "Free" Items Many cryptocurrency scams offer free coins or promise to "drop" coins into your wallet. Remind yourself that nothing is ever free, especially money and cryptocurrencies.

Examine the Marketing Cryptocurrencies are generally not a money-making endeavor. They are projects with a stated purpose and have coins or tokens designed to be used to help the blockchain function. Valid crypto projects won't be posting on social media, pumping themselves up as the next best crypto you shouldn't miss out on. Most valid cryptocurrency developers do not market the coin; they post documentation that outlines the cryptocurrency's purpose.

If it doesn't have a purpose, it is likely but not always a scam. It might be a cryptocurrency just to be a cryptocurrency, similar to Dogecoin , which has no official purpose. There are legitimate businesses using blockchain technology to provide services.

They might have tokens used within their blockchains to pay transaction fees, but the advertising and marketing should appear much more official. They'll have money to spend on celebrity endorsements and appearances and have all the information readily available on their websites. These businesses will not ask everyone to buy their crypto; they will advertise their blockchain-based services.

How to Avoid Cryptocurrency Scams There are several actions you can take to avoid being scammed. If you notice any of the signs, you shouldn't click on any links, dial a phone number, contact them in any way, or send them money. Additionally: Ignore requests to give out your private cryptocurrency keys. Some of the most common include: Fake websites Scammers sometimes create fake cryptocurrency trading platforms or fake versions of official crypto wallets to trick unsuspecting victims.

These fake websites usually have similar but slightly different domain names from the sites they attempt to mimic. They look very similar to legitimate sites, making it difficult to tell the difference. Fake crypto sites often operate in one of two ways: As phishing pages: All the details you enter, such as your crypto wallet's password and recovery phrase and other financial information, end up in the scammers' hands.

As straightforward theft: Initially, the site may allow you to withdraw a small amount of money. As your investments seem to perform well, you might invest more money in the site. However, when you subsequently want to withdraw your money, the site either shuts down or declines the request. Phishing scams Crypto phishing scams often target information relating to online wallets. Scammers target crypto wallet private keys, which are required to access funds within the wallet.

Their method of working is similar to other phishing attempts and related to the fake websites described above. They send an email to lure recipients to a specially created website asking them to enter private key information. Once the hackers have acquired this information, they steal the cryptocurrency in those wallets. Pump and dump schemes This involves a particular coin or token being hyped by fraudsters through an email blast or social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Telegram.

Not wanting to miss out, traders rush to buy the coins, driving up the price. Having succeeded in inflating the price, the scammers then sell their holdings — which causes a crash as the asset's value sharply declines. This can happen within minutes.

Fake apps Another common way scammers trick cryptocurrency investors is through fake apps available for download through Google Play and the Apple App Store. Although these fake apps are quickly found and removed, that doesn't mean the apps aren't impacting many bottom lines.

Thousands of people have downloaded fake cryptocurrency apps. Fake celebrity endorsements Crypto scammers sometimes pose as or claim endorsements from celebrities, businesspeople, or influencers to capture the attention of potential targets. Sometimes, this involves selling phantom cryptocurrencies that don't exist to novice investors. These scams can be sophisticated, involving glossy websites and brochures that appear to show celebrity endorsements from household names such as Elon Musk.

Giveaway scams This is where scammers promise to match or multiply the cryptocurrency sent to them in what is known as a giveaway scam. Clever messaging from what often looks like a valid social media account can create a sense of legitimacy and spark a sense of urgency.

Blackmail and extortion scams Another method scammers use is blackmail. They send emails that claim to have a record of adult websites visited by the user and threaten to expose them unless they share private keys or send cryptocurrency to the scammer. Cloud mining scams Cloud mining refers to companies that allow you to rent mining hardware they operate in exchange for a fixed fee and a share of the revenue you will supposedly make.

In theory, this allows people to mine remotely without buying expensive mining hardware. However, many cloud mining companies are scams or, at best, ineffective — in that you end up losing money or earning less than was implied. Fraudulent initial coin offerings ICOs An initial coin offering or ICO is a way for start-up crypto companies to raise money from future users.

Typically, customers are promised a discount on the new crypto coins in exchange for sending active cryptocurrencies like bitcoin or another popular cryptocurrency. Several ICOs have turned out to be fraudulent , with criminals going to elaborate lengths to deceive investors, such as renting fake offices and creating high-end marketing materials. How to spot cryptocurrency scams So, how to spot a crypto scam?

Warning signs to look out for include: Promises of guaranteed returns: No financial investment can guarantee future returns because investments can go down as well as up. Any crypto offering that promises you will definitely make money is a red flag. A poor or non-existent whitepaper: Every cryptocurrency should have a whitepaper since this is one of the most critical aspects of an initial coin offering.

CRYPTO PRO ITS

They are convenient for trading, swapping, and spending, but have a higher chance of being compromised by cybercriminals due to their connectivity and online access. Cold Wallets Cold wallets exist offline and are a better option for storing large amounts of cryptocurrency for the long term. Those looking for a cold wallet can purchase a hardware wallet like the Ledger , or even create a paper wallet for free. This means if the exchange is hacked or decides to scam its users, any cryptocurrency stored on that exchange can be stolen.

Keeping large amounts of cryptocurrency on an exchange is incredibly risky. Users should consider moving significant amounts of coins off the exchange as soon as possible. Exchanges are massive targets for cybercriminals due to the amount of wealth they hold. Billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency have been stolen from exchanges through phishing scams, brute-force attacks, and outright fraud. ICOs are exciting because getting in on a big project early could lead to incredible returns.

Unfortunately, scammers can spin up a fake ICO with very little money or effort. Many scam ICOs promise massive returns and take advantage of current trends. The creators of a scam ICO hold a majority of the coins in their wallets and watch as more people exchange dollars for their coins. Majority owners of a particular currency will attempt to hype up a coin and artificially drive the price up. False claims, photoshopped images, and fake testimonials can all lead to a sharp rise in price as investors try to get in early.

As the price reaches its artificial peak, the scammers dump their coins all at once, causing the market to crash. You can avoid pump and dump scams by doing the following: Researching claims extensively before buying Using open forums like Reddit to get different opinions Avoiding projects with too-good-to-be-true promises Ponzi Schemes Ponzi Schemes rely on a steady stream of new investors in order to pay artificial returns to early adopters.

One of the most infamous Ponzi schemes in the world of cryptocurrency was Bitconnect, which marketed itself as a high-yield investment program. While many called out Bitconnect as a scam before its collapse, not all Ponzi schemes are as obvious. Cybercriminals often use phishing campaigns to gain access to secure networks and computers. Phishing works by tricking users into clicking a link and entering their information into a malicious clone of a legitimate site.

Cybercriminals can steal credentials and private keys using this method. In some cases, keyloggers, spyware, and trojans are used to silently monitor networks for signs of cryptocurrency wallets or access to exchanges. You can avoid cryptocurrency theft by doing the following: Installing antivirus software Never sharing your private key Keeping large amounts of cryptocurrency in cold wallets offline How Can Crypto Exchanges Prevent Cryptocurrency Fraud Exchanges are arguably one of the biggest targets for cryptocurrency fraud, as a single compromised system can scam thousands of users at once.

Unlike standard banks, which are subject to government oversight, cryptocurrencies rely on a public ledger called a blockchain. Users rely on each other to maintain the blockchain, validating and timestamping transactions.

At the same time as fraudsters are using bitcoin to carry out their scams, businesses and innovators are turning to the blockchain as a potential fraud-fighting technology. That means you and your customers are safe, right? Not so fast. In May of this year , fraudsters hacked into more than business, government, and university websites, surreptitiously turning them into cryptocurrency mining platforms.

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However, there is yet to be a three-year period where if someone were to invest in a diversified cryptocurrency portfolio, they would have lost money.

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