HOW to 100% avoid SCAM ICOs

[Faraha_JJJ]

I ma not sure how to identify a scam 100%, but you can look for the basics like the team behind the project and thier credibility, company registration, aim of the project, thier investors , their whitepaper , look for MVP and source code in github if they have.

[wawanwawan96]

it depends on the team from the beginning they have a long goal whether they only get money from investors and just take personal benefits usually ICOs is good their performance looks real and their project runs and their team or dev work hard to market the project from the start until the ICOs develops and success.

[teosanru]

People we are all arguing that 80-90% of projects are scam startups. But in order to avoid it, we just need to invest only in ICOs, which use Escrow. That's it.

No product progress = no money.

In addition to the Escrow usage there are some other signs of a good project:

- Working product (or a highly developed prototype) availability
  It proves that the team already invested its own time and resources in their idea.

- Reputable member in the team or advisors section.
  It must be a person whose previous projects were successful.

- Add other parameters what do you think guaranty the success of ICO project.

Your guide is not fool proof.
There have been instances when even the non escrowed projects turn out to be legit and all the participants actually receive the money they deserve.
On the other hand, there have been times when even projects managed by good managers have turned out to be scams.
So there is definitely no foolproof guide to choose the right campaign.

[DonFacundo]

It's difficult to know which ICOs are scam, some of them looks legit, but they will scam you in the end. Maybe you should look their activities in their social media I think it can help to know if they are legit ICO.

[Kristoph]

Just read website, white paper, road map and verify team members. Be smart! Dont put money on something wituout value. I suggest to check out Nebula Network website. It's an example of great ICO!

[maarx]

People we are all arguing that 80-90% of projects are scam startups. But in order to avoid it, we just need to invest only in ICOs, which use Escrow. That's it.

No product progress = no money.

In addition to the Escrow usage there are some other signs of a good project:

- Working product (or a highly developed prototype) availability
  It proves that the team already invested its own time and resources in their idea.

- Reputable member in the team or advisors section.
  It must be a person whose previous projects were successful.

- Add other parameters what do you think guaranty the success of ICO project.

Your ideas do really help. Good work dude. Yes focus on it along with confirming the below points. Just check out if the company exists in market for minimum a year and have created reputation. A firm with good name in the market, will not cheat or be a scam. Along side, go through project details as well. Lot more to look at. Be more pro active.

[CandyIzDelicious]

good info avoiding ico scam but now it's a difficult time to invest ico, as good as not to invest to wait, really the market recovers ...

[goaldigger]

The only way to avoid scam ICO a hundred percent is to not invest on the ICO in the first place. Every opportunity has its own level of riskyness and Scams are the one who is equivalent to ICO. You cannot avoid scams in full but you can reduce the percentage when you encounter them.

[mudyak99]

U can check that ico on topicolist or etc. But i will give you tips for scam ICO (maybe not 100% )
- Website Ico with free domain ex. ga/pl/
- Social Media not real (fake social media )
- No Team on project , No Whitepaper

[jordanamg]

Good Bounty Manager is a Good ICO

[miningguru]

Sometimes everything seems to be perfect which we cannot able to get into conclusion about the ICO company until they scam us. But we have to ask them if we get any doubts about the company, so we have to research ourselves before investing in any company.

[lienfaye]

Good Bounty Manager is a Good ICO

You cant guarantee that because some ICO fails even how good the manager who managed their campaign.

Usually the ICOs that promising high profit is likely the scam project so beware and do a proper research before investing.

Nowadays its hard to determine a legit project thus investing in it is risky,  its better to buy tokens that is already listed in reputable exchanges to make sure you wont get scammed.

[nadezda@]

Do not want to fall for the bait of scammers ,buy tokens after sales ,you can follow the project ,and on the drawdown of the token price to bribe ,sometimes with a more good discount that is offered on the ICO.

[AltEvangelist]

Not sure about escrow since the escrow service would have to be legit too. So 100% guarantees are a hard thing to come by.

But there's a few things that I look for:
1) Webite:
   a) Glaring typos,
   b) Emphasis on "guaranteed success"/"5x price gains"/"soon moon",
   c) Bad UI and font (this is not so major for me since a lot of unicorns started like this),
   d) Generic whitepaper that does not explain the solution/use-case/pain point well,
   e) No links to Media mentions
   f) No LinkedIn/GitHub Profile links for team members (at least Founder and a few Key Members should have profiles linked on website)
2) Social Media:
   a) LinkedIn Profile of team member started recently, has few connections, does not mention education or previous job details much, does not mention the project in their profile itself
   b) Twitter page of project has no noted followers (not a major issue since new projects take time to grow a following)
   c) Telegram group is only an Announcement/Broadcast channel
   d) No GitHub activity in past 3-6 months
Among others.

And most importantly, is having a coin/token absolutely necessary for this project and does it solve a pain point.

[AltEvangelist]

...sometimes with a more good discount that is offered on the ICO.

Can't agree more on this. Lately, majority of ICOs have seen price dumping action immediately after listing on an exchange. It actually offers better discounts that the discounts on offer during the ICO phases themselves. The FOMO is strong for good ICOs I am sure. But there's a high probability that price will fall after an ICO. Also, the ICO provides a good litmus test of the project; whether they are able to hit the hard cap and are able to prove that there is a demand for the token/coin. So investing after an ICO with more discounts is definitely a win-win.

[MackLewis]

The surest way to avoid being scammed is to not invest in an ICO. Once you invest in an ICO, there is always a risk, but in return, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to make a profit from that ICO.

[Denton]

You can never be 100% sure that the project will not be a fraud. Unfortunately, even if the project has a finished product, it does not mean that such a project will succeed. I would prefer to buy those coins that are already traded on exchanges. This also does not guarantee that it will be a successful investment, but it is still better than buying during the ICO.

[Ultimist]

I agree with many, you can not be sure that the project will be successful. After some research, you will be able to weed out only frank scam, but what will become of the project in the end will be clear then.

[faza13]

- Reputable member in the team or advisors section.
  It must be a person whose previous projects were successful.

if in an ICO team member there is a member who has joined the ICO Scam, will that be a sign that the ICO is also a SCAM? or it just a sign that we just have to aware of it?

[natsu01]

The best way is don't invest  . This year is a difficult year for ICO after the explosion of ICO in 2017.

I agree with you man ! Some investors have their own factors they considered before investing some funds to the ICO projects because they are afraid to be scammed or can't make profits on it but in order to avoid scam ICOs totally , is not to invest on it.