How to Spot a Crypto Scam in 2026

By Bram de Vries — Amsterdam-based crypto educator (6 years). Published: Feb 16, 2026

• Fake admin DMs: Legitimate teams don’t initiate private messages. Verify announcements only on official websites and verified socials.
• Address poisoning: Attackers send tiny transfers from lookalike addresses. Always compare full addresses; use trusted address books.
• Airdrop phishing sites: If a site asks for aggressive permissions immediately, leave. Cross‑check the URL in multiple official places.
• Seed‑phrase theft “services”: Anyone asking for a seed to fix a stuck transaction is stealing it. There is no valid reason to type a seed into a website.
• Malicious approvals: Review allowances with revoke.cash or your wallet’s built‑in tools and remove what you don’t use.
• Clipboard and extension malware: Keep devices clean; update OS and browsers; restrict extensions.
• Pseudo‑custodial sites: Sites that ask you to “import” a wallet by entering a seed are custodians in disguise—avoid entirely.

Rule of thumb: If urgency and secrecy are demanded, stop and verify on official docs and explorers.