The Crypto Library Every Fraud Survivor Needs

Scammers build deep emotional connections — sometimes over weeks or months — before introducing a 'lucrative investment opportunity.'

Typically initiated on dating apps, social media, or even WhatsApp. The scammer presents as successful, caring, and often foreign-based. Once emotional investment is high, they introduce a crypto trading platform they ‘use personally.’ Victims are shown impressive returns, encouraged to invest more, then blocked when they try to withdraw. The full script — and the moments where you can still break it — is laid out in our guide to crypto romance scams.

A sophisticated long-con combining romance fraud with fake investment platforms. Victims are 'fattened' over months before being 'slaughtered' — losing everything.

Originating in Southeast Asia, pig butchering operations are run by organized crime networks that often traffic their workers. Victims receive an initial ‘wrong number’ or coincidental message, which evolves into a friendship or romance. A fake crypto exchange with a polished interface shows impressive gains — real until you try to withdraw. Victims lose life savings, retirement funds, and borrowed money. Our breakdown of how a pig butchering scam works walks through every stage, from the first message to the withdrawal wall.

Developers launch a seemingly legitimate token, NFT collection, or DeFi protocol, attract investors, then disappear with the funds.

Often accompanied by a professional-looking website, a whitepaper, and social media hype. Founders may be anonymous or using fake identities. Once enough liquidity is deposited, developers execute a contract function that drains the pool and transfers funds to their own wallet. Sometimes staged over multiple steps to avoid early detection. We unpack the mechanics — including honeypot tokens you can buy but never sell — in rug pulls and pump-and-dump schemes explained.

Fake emails, websites, and messages that impersonate legitimate exchanges, wallets, or official services — designed to steal your login credentials or private keys.

Phishing URLs often differ from legitimate ones by a single character (e.g., coinbàse.com). Attackers send urgent messages about account suspension, unusual activity, or free token claims. The victim logs in or enters their seed phrase on the fake site, and the attacker immediately drains their wallet. Hardware wallet users are also targeted through fake device setup instructions. See how these attacks unfold — and the habits that stop them — in our guide to seed phrase phishing and wallet drainers.

Polished, professional-looking trading platforms that accept crypto deposits but block all withdrawal attempts, often citing invented 'tax fees' or 'verification requirements.'

These platforms are clones of legitimate exchanges with realistic charts, transaction histories, and customer support. Victims are often directed there by a trusted contact (who is also a victim or a scammer). Withdrawal attempts trigger demands for additional ‘taxes,’ ‘insurance fees,’ or ‘activation payments’ — all stolen. The platform eventually disappears entirely. Learn the checks that expose a fake crypto trading platform before you deposit a cent.

You try to withdraw and the platform demands a 'withdrawal tax,' 'verification fee,' or account top-up first. The balance was never real — every fee you pay is a new payment straight to the scammer.

The demand wears official-sounding disguises: a government tax, a KYC fee, an anti-money-laundering bond, a frozen-account unlock, an inflated network fee. Paying one only triggers the next excuse, because there are no funds to release. One rule cuts through every version: you never have to send money to receive money. We break down each disguise — and what to do if you already paid — in our guide to the advance-fee scam.

Criminals specifically target known fraud victims, posing as blockchain investigators or legal firms promising guaranteed fund recovery — for an upfront fee.

Scammer lists are sold on dark web markets. Recovery scam operators contact victims through email, social media, or even inside legitimate victim support forums. They produce convincing-looking ‘evidence’ that funds have been traced and can be recovered. After receiving payment, they either disappear or demand additional fees. No legitimate recovery service can guarantee results or asks for payment before delivering them. Our guide to crypto recovery scams shows how to vet anyone who claims they can get your money back.