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When analyzing the team behind an ICO, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to actually determine if they're real or not. The real poorly done up fakes are easy to spot, of course, but much like ransomware, the scammers are becoming more intelligent with their techniques.

What sort of strategy do you guys employ when trying to gauge the authenticity of a team?

LinkedIn? Previous work? Googling names?

It looks like you answered your own question. Most ICO listing sites ask for links to team member LinkedIn accounts. A lot of sites are asking for verification from team members. ICO Bench is one of them.  Who doesn't love Google? Seems to answer a lot of questions as far as legitimacy.

Ah I mean, I guess. But LinkedIn has no true verification process, and anyone who knows how social engineering works (insofar as scams/frauds) knows that it takes less than an hour or two to setup a full team of fake people.

Much like Twitter; LinkedIn has a bit of a problem of 'blind' followers in that you can also pump up your account quickly with a TON of connections, hell, I get at least a few people trying to add me a week that I don't know.

The strategies are a good start, but I'm curious if there's more; and while icobench / icorating, etc, are good, lots of scam ICOs make it onto there too.

TY I guess though

indeed he answered his own question. For contributions, you have to carry out detailed review of the team members. Some may use details of real persons and you will think they are true. Another thing is they may use names that isnt popular in the sphere but they will list advisers who  will appear to be real when in fact, they just put the names up there to make the project legit.

with the way things are going now, you can talk one on one with an adviser an ask if they are part of the project. if not, RUN

Look for a good balance of experience on the team. It doesn't have to be all blockchain experience. True business knowledge and investment connections are important too.

I appreciate the level of popularity and appreciate the views of authoritative people about this project. Oh, if the project is really cool about it, all the authoritative people in this industry know about it

Team Ico is a former Japanese video game development studio led by game designer Fumito Ueda. It was part of Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Studio's Product Development Department #1, and had developed the games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, both for the PlayStation 2. The team was also initially responsible for The Last Guardian before Ueda's departure in 2011 and the formation of a new company taking over development in 2014.[2] Their games are usually characterized by minimalist storytelling and gameplay, an atmospheric use of bloom and high dynamic range rendering (HDR) lighting, and use of fictional languages. Their products are frequently cited as examples of video games as an art form.

I looking for team pictures together and checking if company is real.

I usually google them first and see if something unusual comes up. Then I check their social media pages (if they even have some) and if they are being active. I don't think scammers that want to get quick grab of the money will put much time into curating fake social profiles. Some professionals might on the other hand. A good source of information is also LinkedIn. You can see where they worked prior to being part of their ICO company and what experience do they have in the field. But I guess that information could also be fake. You can never know for sure. Usually, if the profiles look OK to me, then there is a strong chance that the team is legit. But if you can't find any extra information about the team, then it is best to avoid the ICO.

Hahah, thanks! Love me some Shadow of the Colossus

Yea, this might be a good additional strategy. I realize I'm covering most of the bases already, but just seems like there ought be more (some sort of ICO specific social media with a verification process, for example). But, reaching out to someone on the team is probably a great idea.

thanks for the input!

Be aware that there is MUCH money to be made with ico's and thus the scammers put much effort in their scams.  Some ico scams are being prepared for months.  What I noticed:

- Linkedin with 500+ means nothing.  They can use fake accounts.
- Linkedin with references to prior activities mean nothing.  You can fake those too.
- Linkedin with references to other businesses don't mean anything.  Other businesses can make fake sites just in order to support the scam.

What can you do?

GOOGLE these people.  If they are nowhere to be found  prior to the ico, bad news...  If they do: check!  Write emails and ask companies of they know them.

Most times, the team members of an ICO can be found on LinkedIn, but this sometimes can be very deceptive. In the sense that, scammers can also create a fake profile of that person on LinkedIn, since two different people can bear the same name, the only difference will be in the code. So i think the best way is an intense research into those persons.
- The best way is to first browse out their works.
- From there, you will get their contacts on those different works.
- If the contacts correlate, you can then contact them individually.
- If the contacts do not correlate, that should be scam.
- To confirm further, get in touch with them through the  different contacts.
- If there is anything shady or you have an iota of doubt, do not invest.

what kind of projects are you looking at?
isn't it, in a way, atleast more reliable to invest in an actual great project, since then there's less reason for a fake team to not do the project?
I'm not sure if that would work

Yeah, more info on the site the better. If they lack info it can be a red flag.

i didn't do my research about ico team ,but i will find the rating from icodrops  ,this is my favorite website because most of their project are good .

I always research their LinkedIn profiles, crosscheck if the previous companies they have listed to have worked before checks out.
Its important to reverse search the team pictures on google to see if something else comes up.
Most importantly the team must have blockchain specialists if they are to succeed so that is something to look out for.
Always do due diligence

one of the first thing to do is to try out a google search on the names. A project i am currently doing some work upon typing the leader of the team's name of google, it brought it out. Trust is important in finding or ascertaining whether the project is one to invest in. After checking, all their details will be out and i will continue from there. You can also check facebook, linkedin, and any other sites they can be.

Looking at the people that stay behind an ICO, also searching for information on the different forums and websites. I would just recommend you not to interrupt yourself and to ask people about them.

Due to what you mentioned, I heavily rely on third party rating sites such as ICOBench. I also don't consider ICO's if there aren't any videos or media surrounding them, as people become much more reliable once they are made public.

Anything is important, it is also important to find out whether the team is really involved. For example recently I talked with the CEO of AmbitMining ICO, it is good sign it means that he is involved in project and spends time to make it sucessful

you are right bro, your suggested idea about knowing if they legit as an ico team most of us are searching their previous works and where they connected to other projects that they've done and successful. one thing that i observed legit if they always online and appearance where events located talking, answering on the spot conference.

Basically I rely on their experience. Previous work and previous projects, preferably successful

The most reliable way is to scan a profile on LinkedIn. In addition to basic information about work and education, you can find feedback from employers and partners. But I also use Google. A good specialist has publications in specialized media as well as experience of speaking at public events. If Google does not know him, then I doubt the professionalism of such a person.

Don't forget that:

Linkedin with 500+ means nothing.  They can use fake accounts and they do it all the time.  Linkedin with references to prior activities mean nothing.  You can fake those too.  Linkedin with links to other businesses don't mean anything.  Other businesses can make fake sites just in order to support the scam.


Please google every member of the team.  If they are nowhere to be found  prior to the ico, bad news...  If they do: check!  Write emails and ask companies of they know them.

ICO-scammers know by now that the team is being checked.  They go far in faking prior references.