Bitcoin Forum

To alert newbie users about common cryptocurrency scams.

Please IGNORE anyone who PMs on bitcointalk or any other platforms and tells you they can make you money or provide support by:

• Sending funds to an account.

• Sharing your seed phrase/secret information.

• Using any method that doesn’t feel right.

• Connecting wallet to an unsolicited link other than different software.


DO NOT Trust any external entity promoting token airdrops etc. Verify always official Discord, Twitter, Medium and more to double check everything.

Big community mods, admins or any other staff will NOT DM you to support. Please avoid anyone who PM-ing you in bitcointalk to help or use your computer instead just create support thread on bitcointalk and users will help you.

Be careful with anyone approaching you!

The chances are likely that it is too good to be true - a SCAM.

There are many such warning topics on the forum. Perhaps one of them, formulated correctly, should be attached, since everything you wrote should be followed not only on this forum but also everywhere on the Internet. It is quite difficult to meet someone who does not know about these rules; however, we regularly see victims who have fallen into the clutches of fraudulent schemes. It seems that some naive people need to go through the path of deception to vigilance; otherwise, they learn nothing.

If you're using Telegram especially, keep in mind that if you join any group with a decent amount of people (few thousand or more) there will always be scammers luring.
God forbid you write you have an issue with something, atleast 5 fake support agents will contact you and give you links to phishing sites

That's a very strong key word. If you're a user of this forum and you're having issues around your crypto journey, "don't sent PM' but make it a thread for public discussions where you can even get more tips of how to solve your problem. Don't also respond to others PM who tends to have a private chat with you based on your needy request to solve either your wallet issues or other such as involved your securities or Privacies.
Don't just trust the unknown who may claim unharmful or genuine and always verify before you absorb any passed informations which may come via links, recommendations or otherwise.

The support scam usually happens on Discord servers. Whenever a new member joins the Discord server and asks a question, the scammers quickly send a private message and ask people to join another Discord server and create a ticket. I have been joining new servers lately to talk with potential clients, and those scammers are also approaching me.

Most of the time, I troll them a little bit if I am free and then block them. Always remember that official support members won't send you private message first. Most of the discord server has it's own ticket system. You don't have to join another server to create a ticket.

Scams these days can come in any form, hence there is a need for a steady and constant reminder, so that the community would be in the know of the happenings of scammers and their new tricks used on their victims. Although there are threads or topics but I just believe it is all about personal scam experience and the experience which might happen to be a new trick in the system which people are not aware of but if clearly explained in the content of the post, the community members would see a good reason with you to understand and adhere to safety procedures to stay and play safe while they engage and enteract with the people.

Scammers will get closer to you on the media you are active on. In addition to forums, if you are actively hunting for airdrops in Telegram groups, you will get scammer attempts there. In X, when you often share or comment on accounts related to airdrops or other crypto projects, you can get PM from scammers there. Likewise with other social media.
There are many ways that scammers use to get victims. Sending messages by offering or providing links is an old way that many beginners already know. But still, we have to be vigilant because sometimes they create account names that are identical to the names of big figures that we often meet.

Good thing forum has some warning especially on lower rank account. If ever a high ranking user pm you, you would know if the message is kinda suspicious or scammy so you also know if its a threat or not. Though I dont like being pm too especially for those spam messages. But its inevitable gor other users who got concern about you.

Common red flag we could see from those pretentious support is they send a message first to people. If people see this usually they are fake supports and just using the name of the real ones so that they can scam them.

You already mentioned the common thing been asked that's why we need to be more careful dealing with this people and better ignore those who send you a message first on telegram or discord since provably their intention is to scam and they are not bringing anything good to us.

We really need to be aware of this so that fake supports will not succeed to scam us.

It would be great if this post was elaborated on with some studies and research - one of the articles I recently read this year details how coinbase users have been scammed over $300,000,000 from social engineering alone (https://cryptoslate.com/coinbase-users-reportedly-lose-over-300m-yearly-via-social-engineering-scams/) where attackers get private information and establish trust to get victims to fall for their scams, lure them into lowering their guard/creating attack vectors like swim swap attacks and more. It's a dangerous playing field out there, and it seems that people are still not smart enough to be safe.

Such scam method is not even common on this forum, while I was a newbie I don't see too many unsolicited messages on this forum but on other platforms like social media, there are too many unsolicited pm from random users who are offering investment opportunities, some of them are also asking for erotic messaging partner and different crazy message which I know for sure that are all scammers. Any body that receives such messages, the best decision is block and report them.

As long as there is greed in human nature, scammers won't go out of business because out of 100 people, at least a few will fall in their traps when they hear about the unrealistic profit plans and investment opportunities they offer. There are so many people out there who think and believe that one can invest $100 and make $400 in a month from a website that gives them daily payments for doing nothing because they say they are either staking, trading, or mining cryptocurrencies and they make good profit from it and then share a percentage with the investors.

That being said, no matter how many people we warn, no matter how much we try and spread such information, scammers will still be able to find their prey and steal their money like it has always been theirs to have. What I'm trying to say is that such warnings and details might save a few newbies that read it if they can keep them in their mind, but we can barely stop scammers from becoming successful.

Not only the newbies can be affected on this, any other person can as well be a victim because they can fall in for it, whenever we receive a message from unknown user, we should then read the content first before taking action to either discard such or archive it for reference purpose in the future, but that doesn't means we should go ahead in presenting any valuable information we have, sending our wallet address to receive free donations, or even reveal any sensitive information about us or other things which we do, because scam is real and they can come in any form to anyone, but knowing about them various routes could help us against falling on anyone of them.

These are good and helpful tips for beginners. Thank you for this warning.

Indeed, strangers should not be trusted, especially when it comes to financial matters. One shouldn't seek help from someone one doesn't know or someone whose membership is new and unpopular. One shouldn't share the seed phrase with anyone; it must remain private and only known to the wallet owner.

As for links, one shouldn't rush to open a link without verifying its credibility and making sure it's safe and official, not a fake or phishing link. These airdrops are often just bait used by scammers to lure victims with the promise of free profits.

Yes, scams have been rampant these days, so it’s best to stay updated and be informed always because that’s already a great help most particularly for those who are still new in the market. And I would say I really appreciate those who keep sharing their personal experiences with how scams are going now, not only they teach others here but they are also the reason why these newbies here have become smarter and have come to avoid those present scam tricks that scammers have been tirelessly doing.

Constant reminder helps a lot. Not only for newbies but even to those old active members in the forum.

Not only on Bitcointalk but this is also rampant in many other messaging apps like Telegram, whatsapp, viber, you name them. As long as they've got your details, they'll max out the use of your numbers or emails to keep contacting you every single time they send a batch wave of these scam messages. So, stay safe and don't entertain them and that's for your safety because no money is free nowadays and these scammers want to take all of your hard worked money either from your salary or from the grind that you did in crypto.

That's how they almost got me once. Beware of Discord groups related to cryptocurrency or any other project, such as a token or platform. Whenever you ask a question, you'll receive a private message from moderator imposters that will try to "assist" you. In reality, they're trying to manipulate you, usually through phishing websites to hand them your private keys.

I had once asked a question in a Discord group, related to staking, I received a PM from a fake moderator who told me I could receive some extra APY if I connected my wallet somewhere I can't recall now. I foolishly did what he instructed and tried to connect my Metamask wallet, which failed to "automatically" connect and asked me to provide a private key. Idiot me still wonders why I did it, but fortunately the minute I did it, something didn't feel right in my guts and managed to move everything to another wallet within seconds.

These scammers have no morals, when I publicly called him out on the Discord group, I received another PM from another user to advise me on how to secure my wallet. This idiot was trying to scam people who were already scammed in the first place. They're complete scums.

The best solution here is never fall on your greed. Constant reminders will still be useless if those newbies continue to focus on satisfying their greed, they will definitely not stop from falling into these scammers traps.

And another thing, chose to gain new insights and information daily. That way, falling into these scammers won’t only be limited but will definitely be avoided in the long run. And whatever that seems too good to be true, those are scams. Study those so you won’t keep falling on those kind of traps.

scam attempt is not only in bitcointalk forum but almost everywhere in the internet scam comes in different forms, most of the scam may not come as a pm but you come across them and fall for it simply because it looks so real or too good to be true. you can find crypto scam mostly on telegram and twitter. there have been many thread that have been created about scam and trust me many are still falling to it because of greediness. except people stop being greedy otherwise they will still be falling for such scam.

We need more people like you to make scammers think that not all people are idiots, and sometimes scammers can be lured into a trap, too. I also "have fun" from time to time, bringing someone almost to the last step and blocking him when, in his opinion, he was already planning purchases with my money. We need scammers to waste time and also get a blow to the forehead for their antics. But of course, knowledge always creates obstacles for those who think that they can achieve success by deception. Therefore, skepticism towards any "tempting" thing that promises profit will be a good defense for our safety.

Fortunately, you were not scammed. A similar incident happened to me as well. I was using a DEX, and the swap was completed, but I did not receive the funds. I reached them on Discord, and a fake moderator sent me a private message and asked to join a server to create a ticket. I joined that server, and then they provided me a link to fill out a form, but before that, I had to connect my wallet to prove the ownership of the wallet address. But I already know what they have in their mind, and then I blocked them. I have been joining the server again lately, and I was approached by the scammers this time as well. But now I am either trolling them or blocking them.

As I said, if I have some free time, I troll them a little bit before I block them. I make them believe that I understand their instructions and follow the steps.

aha i also do this time to time, most of them from india even some sending voice message saying bad words to me in the end  :) :)

scammers have been utilizing this technique for a while, it's excellent that you brought it up again because it will help beginners who might not be aware of it.  Although this tactic is uncommon in Bitcointalk, scammers mostly use it on Telegram and WhatsApp. If you are a member of any cryptocurrency or earning groups, it will be very hard for you to avoid receiving a private message from a scammer because they know that many users of these groups will be in a desperate to make money, and  which they use the opportunity to send them private message and a lot of users used to fall in the victims.

Absolutely! Scammers love targeting newbies...

Always be cautious...

It is true that we have to check and verify every notification that comes to us, especially we have to check its truth on the official website or official social media of the related party, for example there is an incoming notification that seems to be from a project x, then we have to check it first through the official party of the project x, and usually a project is more active on discord. However, even so, some cases of a project sometimes experience hacking of their social media accounts, so we also need to not rush to believe it, so we need to be patient waiting until there is further notification from the official party, usually it takes up to 24 hours or more for us to be able to wait for certainty.

Keeping in mind that social media platforms are not entirely a friendly ground to entertain PMs will help each one of us that not everyone on social media platforms wants to build a good relationship. Some are here looking for whom they can scam with enticing offers of wealth. Not listening or replying to their chats will do best not to fall victim to scams.

The social media is a haven for scammers. Since these scammers can easily hide their identify and create multiple accounts, it is an ideal place to scam people. I have received messages multiple times that usually contain information about a project that would bring instant profits. I don't usually waste my time responding to them immediately I sense that it a scam attempt. If you can control your quest for cheap money, these scammers will not prey on you.

I still ask myself why I complied, I'm always very suspicious when it comes to online scams, and I still wonder why I fell for it. I had just returned from work, it was midnight, I was tired, but still, I haven't found the answer on how and why I did it. I was fortunate enough to realize that something fell off, it was like an adrenaline kick rushing through.

These scammers never cease to amaze me, and this proves how easy it is to fall a victim to their scams. I don't know what I would have done if they had managed to steal my funds, it was over $3,000, and the majority of them were staked, which means I had to go through the trouble of liquidating them and then moving them to a new wallet.

Sometimes it happens, mate. Unlike you, I wasn't able to stop myself, and I fell into a phishing scam and lost a few hundred dollars, which was in my Metamask. My situation was similar to yours. I also came from work, I was tired, and it was midnight when I was scrolling social media before I slept. I received an email and I opened it instantly.

I was doing airdrops back then. The email said I had an unclaimed airdrop reward, and I immediately connected my wallet to claim the reward without checking the URL and the email sender address. It took only a few seconds and my entire wallet was drained. I revoked the connection, but it was too late already.

You are right that sharing of personal experience is okay and it also protect the community in the sense that if anyone shares their experience to the community, members would learn from it because some might not have had that experience so when they encounter such, they can be able to detect it and know what to do immediately because they've come across a personal experience post which they had read in the past and that knowledge would help them be able to outsmart scammers who want to undo them.

How do people still fall for these scams despite the one million and one scam warnings that are everywhere.

One answer I got is that they are curious about it. They think that they can outsmart the scammer who for instance has promised to send funds to their account.

I think that these people who think this way are also scammers themselves because that's how scammers would always think. If not, ignore them. Block them. Report them. Those are the many options available other than replying them or try to be a smartass with them.

I did this before.
A scammer PMed me, but instead of blocking him, I attempted to outsmart his tricks.
However, scammers are quite clever, and when they realize you are aware of their scam attempt, they will quickly disengage once they sense you are pretending.

Those who try to outplay the scammer at their own game may unknowingly adopt a sort of “scammer mindset” themselves, engaging in risky deception rather than exercising cautious skepticism.
This blurs the line between victim and perpetrator in a psychological sense.

This is the situation with some people but for some people it's the other way round so I don't think it's nice to judge others based on the issue that happened to them when we don't the main reason behind it because we still some people who are still naive about most online scam activities because they are always busy with real life business etc.If such person is a victim of this scammer it doesn't mean it's out of their curiosity when it's because they're unaware of the scammer strategy and for the record we all once a victim of a scam (which is could project team lies, or influence abusing their influencing power) before we're knowledgeable in the crypto space.

What we have to do is keep spreading the scammer strategy sooner or later it will safe some newbies from scammer.

Yes we should not judge people who get scammed by scammers especially online ones.  It is easy to forget that not everyone spends much time online or knows about all newest ways scammers try to trick people. Busy people with their jobs and lives offline might not know about these kind of scams. If they get scammed it does not mean they were just curious or looking for trouble. Mostly it is done because they did not know how scammers work and it is not their fault. And we should keep in mind that not only newcomers get scammed sometimes experienced people also get scammed.
Your idea to keep telling people about how scammers work is definitely right thing to do. If we keep sharing this information sooner or later it will help new people avoid getting scammed.

I think majority of users in this forum understood how scammers work, it will be difficult for old users here  to fall victim to scammers in any way, I notice that newbies always seek help from people they don't know in this forum and outside the forum too which is the easiest way for newbies to encounter fake support from scammers, you can get genuine help from this forum, if you are very active in this forum because there are some imparts that will lead you to your destination to success in this forum.

Not just on telegram, as long as it's a public group, a lot of scammers always finds themselves in such group and target people that are presumed to be newbies by bursting there inbox with sweet and enticing investing options.  It's just in the nature of newbies to seek for help on public group and as a matter of fact, one way to know who's a newbie is the fact that they love to ask questions, once you ask questions, both those that are willing to help genuinely and those that are just trying to steal from you will try to get at you through your direct message.

The direct solution to that is that we've got this forum as an open space that anyone can freely make enquiries and whatever solution that comes afterwards will come to the public eyes such that it's deficult for people to scam you in this kind of open space except you allow yourself to get dragged off this space to the closet of your chat box. It's better to ask all the stupid questions on the forum and get all the answers and what might look like ridicule which will all give you a better edge rather than allow someone drag you down your DM to decieve you.

It's good to always hold it that if you can't teach me or give me the needed information on a public space but rather feel the DM is the only place to share your useful information, you've started making yourself a suspect right from that moment.

If anyone can make you money like they promised just tell them to make money for themselves and their families, those who really makes money one way or the other are busy enjoying it, they choose to keep it a secret because its real.

Those who come out and tell strangers that they are making money are faking it, they want to use you for their own selfish interests and you are likely going to be a victim because you believe them.

I have been sent similar messages on here and I returned the messages with my own believe and they never come for me again, because I caught them, told them how they really are and what they hope to achieve, that must have scared them off lol.

Don't give face to strangers, that's all I want to say, they mostly don't have anything to offer you than to steal from the little you've suffered to gathered.

I did exactly what was needed ignoring them. I have had a couple strange DMs before that felt weird.  I will surely remember this and double check everything going forward using approved sources.  Greater safety than regret.

Nearly all of us know about this, but since you posted this in this section, then it is a good thread that might save one newbie out there from falling victim to some of these cheap tricks.
I don't think it is curiosity but instead greed. One of the quickest ways people fall victim to scam is because of their greed, many times they know it sounds too good to be true, but they still want to try it and see if they can make the unrealistic return, but in the end they get scammed.