Built on the idea of buying and selling digital currencies, the online crypto trading world is characterized as dynamic, volatile, risky, yet highly profitable. The reasons for that are many.
Understanding the background will help you build initial knowledge of the basic mechanisms behind the misuse of crypto popularity and other its features.
What Makes Crypto so Attractive?
Cryptos are decentralized and autonomous, offer potential astonishing returns, and are global and diverse. Let’s also not forget that media and social networks have had their fair share in popularizing blockchain assets, therefore diligently building the hype and sparking the fear of missing out in many of us.
The speculative nature of these financial products often seems thrilling to those that wish to participate in the game and attempt to profit, despite the presented risks.
You also have to admit that digital money represents a sort of a refreshment for every portfolio that was focused on trading traditional assets like stocks and bonds.
While it’s important to understand the potential of virtual currencies, it’s of crucial value to consider possible risks of delving into this exciting and potentially harmful world. Stay with us as we explore most common cryptoscams, how they can be recognized and avoided.
Fake Social Media Profiles
In order to gain credibility and influence over the common folk, scammers create fake social networks accounts and impersonate famous figures, entrepreneurs and celebrities.
After establishing domination over their followers, they start encouraging the victims to participate in their fake giveaways. Since they can now manipulate their audience, they can also urge them to buy something, invest, and rob them blind as a result.
Using fake celebrity endorsement and catchy names is typical for crypto scams. For example, more popular are Tesla coins scams.
Ponzi Schemes
This sort of a fraudulent business lures in victims by promising them high returns. Newly joined are especially encouraged to promote the company and bring in more people as various rewards and discounts are promised.
The sham persists as long as the existing financial hostages keep dragging in more individuals.
Phishing Scams
These schemes are based on creation of fake websites that mimic the real deal and deceive victims to share their sensitive information, such as wallet details.
Flashy online ads, catchy clickable content and deceptive links hiding in emails is how victims get in contact with these. Fake sites often impersonate legit platforms and wallet services to facilitate the DeFi wallet scams.
Forged Wallets and Exchanges
Greedy cyber criminals often create counterfeit wallets and exchanges that appear legitimate and encourage their clients to download their wallets and fake crypto trading apps.
Victims that download and use these expose their private keys, whereas, in the case of fake exchanges, traders deposit funds to wallets that fraudsters control.
Liquidity Mining Scams
The trap here is the promised high return in mining hardware or contracts. Investors purchase these services or invest in the deals in order to earn the advertised profit.
Naturally, this insane passive income never happens because the method to achieve it doesn’t work. Swindlers simply run away with the invested capital while the victim awaits on their promised ROI.
Pump and Dump Schemes
By spreading the hype and false information cyber thieves artificially inflate the current price of a low-valued electronic currency. Methods used to convince people to buy these are calculated fake rumors, coordinated buying by the participants of the scam project and other various means.
The goal is to sell these assets for the blown up price which will then cause the price to plummet. Investors are left with a worthless token while fraudsters line their pockets.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware typically hides in malicious email links and attachments. When the victim clicks on it, it activates and encrypts the person’s data. This malicious software renders the data or content inaccessible.
Cyber criminals use these circumstances to demand ransom for releasing the key. The cost is usually calculated in digital money, with criminals sending the wallet address to which they expect the payment to be sent.
ICO (Initial Coin Offering) Sham
Investors and future victims in these cases are attracted by fake news, false team members and fabricated project data that revolves around the release of some new coin.
Scammers extort funds from investors by promising this new token to be something big and extremely valuable. The promise of the new cryptographic tokens or blockchain project remains a lie and the product never sees the light of the day, while frauds run with the capital invested in their fake project.
Romance Scam
Cryptocurrency-related thefts often involve emotional manipulation of the victim. Swindlers build trustworthy relationships by often acting as if they’re romantically engaged with the victim.
By misusing the trust, they drag their target into senseless investing, exploit them financially and fake emergencies, only to manipulate the target into sending them crypto.
Affiliate Campaigns Promoting AI
In order to gain popularity and ensure the influx of new blood, scam crypto websites often team up with promoters that advertise unrealistic trading conditions, such as AI trading bots.
These intermediaries between the victims and the frauds collect personal information and connect the potential targets with fake crypto trading sites. BitQT is one of the typical cases.
How to Stay Safe
Not falling victim to various types of unscrupulous projects requires a lot of awareness and a combination of due diligence and adherence to the best practices that ensure security.
First and foremost, we’d like to accentuate the importance of staying informed and building your knowledge. Educating yourself can help you recognize the warning signs from the start.
Obtaining the said knowledge and information is done through a thorough research. Conducting extensive research will help you verify the legitimacy of the project you’re about to engage in and help you find the most reliable platforms while ignoring unsolicited, fake offers. It also helps build realistic expectations and could spare you the disappointment.
By being careful and not making rushed decisions while using secure wallets and keeping your private keys private, you can defend from miscreants in pursuit of your sensitive information. Reporting suspicious activities and potentially harmful proposals to financial authorities in charge of your jurisdiction helps keep everyone safer.
FAQ
How Do You Know If Someone is a Crypto Scammer?
There’s many ways to recognize a scammer. Most of them offer unrealistic profit and demand access to sensitive information.
Can I Recover Money From a Crypto Scammer?
While it may seem almost impossible at times, we can assist you in the process of fund recovery.
Can You Trace a Crypto Scammer?
With the help of our technology and software, we can help you gain insight into the flow of your crypto funds.