Most crypto scams share the same tells: guaranteed returns, urgency, unsolicited messages, fake endorsements, and requests for your seed phrase. Here are 12 red flags.
Most crypto scams share the same handful of tells: guaranteed or sky-high returns, pressure to act now, unsolicited messages, fake celebrity endorsements, and any request for your seed phrase. If an opportunity has several of these, it is almost certainly a scam. Real investing is never urgent, guaranteed, or secret.
Security firms like McAfee and Kaspersky report the same patterns cycle after cycle.
The single clearest rule: no legitimate service will ever ask for your seed phrase. Not an exchange, not a wallet, not "support." The request itself is the scam.
If you are setting up self-custody, start with what a seed phrase is and how to move crypto to a wallet.
Stop sending money immediately, screenshot everything, and report it to your local fraud authority and the platform involved. Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover your funds for a fee. That is almost always a second scam aimed at the same victim.
Regulated platforms with real track records, ranked by our scoring method.
Compare exchangesA guarantee. No real investment offers risk-free or guaranteed returns. Pair that with urgency or an unsolicited message and it is a scam.