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Scams aimed at investors and crypto holders — fake platforms, pig-butchering, and recovery scams. (95 scam types.)
Fraudsters gain unauthorised access to your existing accounts — email, banking, social media — using stolen credentials, phishing, or SIM swaps, then exploit or sell the access.
Scammers send tiny transactions from addresses that look identical to your regular contacts, hoping you will copy the wrong address for future transfers.
Attackers position themselves between you and a legitimate website to harvest authenticated session tokens in real time, bypassing two-factor authentication without needing your password.
Scammers embed convincing AI chatbots into fake websites and messaging apps to answer victims' questions in real time, building false trust and extracting money or personal data far more effectively than a static scam page.
Platforms claiming an AI-powered bot generates automatic, consistent trading profits, paired with a referral commission for recruiting new depositors — in reality funded by new deposits rather than real trading, collapsing when recruitment slows.
Subscription services claiming AI algorithms generate profitable trading signals, backed by fabricated performance records and paid testimonials.
Deepfake videos and images of celebrities 'endorsing' investments or giveaways.
Fabricated 'news articles' promoting scams, often using deepfakes and trusted-outlet branding.
Malicious software secretly installed on a device intercepts banking sessions, captures saved passwords, steals cryptocurrency wallet files, and exfiltrates personal data — often without any visible symptoms.
Paid software and subscriptions claiming to automatically find risk-free 'surebet' arbitrage opportunities across bookmakers, often nonfunctional or designed to drain accounts the scammer controls.
Paid tipping services that promise guaranteed or near-guaranteed winning bets through a subscription fee, using cherry-picked results and vanishing accounts to hide a losing track record.
Fraudulent 'all-or-nothing' trading platforms that manipulate outcomes to ensure you lose and block withdrawals.
A con artist shows a trunk of banknotes dyed black to "hide" them from customs, cleans one note with a magic chemical before your eyes, then sells you the chemical or a share of the stash. The notes are blank paper and no chemical exists.
High-pressure sales operations that cold-call investors to push worthless, overpriced, or non-existent shares and investments.
Scammers pose as companies offering to pay drivers to wrap their cars with brand advertising, then send an overpayment cheque and ask the victim to forward money to a 'vehicle wrap installer.'
Fraudulent investment schemes that sell worthless, non-existent, or unregistered carbon credits as a high-return alternative investment.
Malware that silently replaces a cryptocurrency address you have copied with the attacker's address, redirecting your transfer.
Automated tools test billions of username-and-password pairs stolen from data breaches across hundreds of services simultaneously, silently taking over accounts where victims reused passwords.
Cryptocurrency-only casinos, often tied to their own native token, that suddenly shut down or empty their reserves once deposits reach a peak, leaving player balances worthless.
Fraudulent accounts impersonating major cryptocurrency exchanges or wallets announce giveaways requiring users to send crypto first to receive double back — and keep everything sent.
Fake celebrity or exchange giveaways that promise to double your crypto if you send it first — and keep everything sent.
Schemes combining cryptocurrency with multi-level or matrix recruitment structures, where participants buy in with crypto and are paid only when they recruit others — obscuring money flows and complicating recovery.
Fraud built around cryptocurrency — fake exchanges, wallet-draining links, giveaway scams and bogus trading platforms.
Romantic interest used to draw you into a fake crypto trading platform (a form of pig butchering).
Phishing sites mimicking DeFi protocols or wallet interfaces that steal connected wallet funds through malicious contract approvals during 'flash loan' or yield interactions.
Businesses are tricked into signing what looks like a free or one-time directory listing form that is actually a multi-year paid subscription with steep cancellation penalties.
Scammers contact investors who have lost money in collapsed companies or unpaid dividends and claim they can recover the funds — for an advance fee that is itself the fraud.
Compromised or spoofed accounts direct message followers claiming a limited-time cryptocurrency giveaway that requires sending a small deposit first to 'unlock' a much larger return, which never arrives.
Attackers send tiny amounts of cryptocurrency to target wallets to link pseudonymous addresses to real identities, enabling targeted phishing, extortion, or further wallet attacks.
Attackers exploit carrier eSIM provisioning processes to transfer your phone number to a digital SIM they control, achieving the same account-takeover outcome as a physical SIM swap without needing a SIM card.
'AI trading bots' promising automated, guaranteed profits — a wrapper for investment fraud.
Entire platforms branded around 'AI trading' that are fake from end to end.
Fraudulent token distribution announcements that lead to phishing sites or wallet-draining approval requests.
Malicious apps that mimic real ones to steal logins, intercept codes, or drain accounts.
Fraudulent betting 'affiliate' or 'agent' programs that promise commission for referring new bettors but require an upfront bond or deposit, and never pay out earned commission.
Impersonation of regulated brokers, or entirely invented firms, to take deposits for trading or investing.
Fraudulent NFT projects that use a celebrity's name, image, or fabricated endorsement to attract buyers to a mint that either delivers worthless tokens or drains wallets.
Platforms claiming to let you automatically mirror the trades of expert crypto traders, where the 'expert' returns and the platform itself are entirely fabricated.
Imposters posing as exchange customer support trick you into revealing credentials, seed phrases, or approving withdrawals.
Fraudulent job offers in the crypto industry that steal funds, harvest credentials, or install malware through the hiring process.
Fraudulent services targeting people who have already lost money in crypto scams, promising to trace and recover funds in exchange for upfront fees.
Fraudulent tools that ask you to connect your wallets or enter your seed phrase under the guise of calculating your crypto tax liability.
Fraudulent websites pretending to sell in-game items, accounts, or currency that never arrive.
Scammers impersonate Google support to demand payment, personal codes, or account access in order to 'verify' or 'protect' a business's Google Business Profile listing.
Counterfeit or tampered hardware wallets — or phishing via fake manufacturer sites — that steal seed phrases and drain funds.
Fraudulent hardware sales or cloud mining contracts that collect payment for mining equipment or capacity that is never delivered or does not generate the promised returns.
Paid membership clubs that promise access to exclusive property deals, mentorship, or 'no money down' investing systems, but generate most of their revenue from membership fees and member recruitment rather than genuine real estate transactions.
Platforms promising unrealistically high staking or yield returns that are either exit scams or Ponzi schemes.
Fraudulent airdrop sites mimic real token distributions to trick users into approving wallet-draining transactions or submitting seed phrases to claim non-existent tokens.
Fraudulent token launches collect presale funds then abandon the project, leaving investors with worthless or non-existent tokens.
Slick websites and apps that simulate trading and show fake profits to keep you depositing.
Scammers invent official-sounding financial authorities — or clone real regulators — to vouch for a bogus investment, demand a "release fee" to unlock your funds, or pose as the regulator recovering an earlier loss. Real regulators never charge to release your money.
Social media 'financial influencers' promote investments, trading courses, or platforms without holding any regulatory licence, often receiving undisclosed payments and exposing followers to serious financial harm.
Schemes presenting foreign exchange trading as a wealth-building opportunity while deriving income primarily from recruiting new members rather than from actual profitable trading.
Fake foreign-exchange trading schemes and 'account managers' that promise steady FX profits and block withdrawals.
Fake property crowdfunding schemes that sell fractions of non-existent or unregistered real estate and then block withdrawals behind endless fees.
Fraudulent apps and websites promise earnings for clicking ads or completing simple digital tasks, but never pay out — they harvest personal data, generate ad revenue for the operator, or require fees that exceed any payout.
Influencers and online marketers sell expensive courses, mentorship programmes, or masterclasses promising rapid wealth through trading, dropshipping, or passive income strategies, delivering little of practical value.
Promoters persuade retirement savers to roll over pension or IRA funds into precious metals accounts, charging excessive fees, marking up metal prices, and storing assets in ways that reduce or eliminate their value.
A seller offers gold bars, nuggets, or jewelry at a bargain price, backed by a sob story or staged tests. The gold is gilded base metal worth almost nothing.
HYIPs promise extraordinary daily or weekly returns — often hundreds of percent per year — through vague 'trading' or 'arbitrage' strategies, but are structured as Ponzi schemes that always collapse.
Deceptive trades within or around games that trick players into exchanging valuable items for nothing or far less than agreed.
Fraudsters posing as buyers or brokers in in-game item marketplaces charge fees, taxes, or escrow deposits before an item transfer and then disappear with the payment.
Fake or manipulated investment opportunities that promise high, guaranteed returns and pressure you to deposit quickly.
Scammers impersonate banks, exchanges, or financial platforms and claim the victim must immediately update their KYC details or face account suspension — leading to credential theft or direct fraud.
Firms sell small plots of cheap rural land at inflated prices, claiming imminent planning permission will multiply their value; the land is rarely developable and the promised uplift never comes.
Fake DeFi protocols promise high yields for providing liquidity, then drain your wallet when you connect and approve.
Coordinated groups artificially inflate a low-value token's price, then dump their holdings on retail buyers who bought in during the hype.
Bots and bad actors exploit Ethereum's transaction ordering to front-run and back-run user trades, extracting value by sandwiching legitimate swaps and delivering worse prices than expected.
Attackers flood your phone with authentication-approval requests until you accept one by mistake, then impersonate support staff to confirm the 'error'.
Fraudsters exploit mobile-money wallets with faked "sent by mistake — please send it back" texts, rogue or impersonated agents who pocket deposits, and fake PIN prompts, so victims hand over real money against a credit that was never there.
Organised criminal networks exploit VAT refund systems by rapidly cycling the same goods through multiple businesses across borders, claiming tax refunds that were never actually paid.
NFT or Web3 platforms that pay existing holders a referral commission for recruiting new buyers, creating a pyramid-like structure disguised as blockchain innovation, where early recruiters profit at the expense of later participants.
Fraudulent NFT collections take mint payments and deliver nothing, or use fake mints to drain wallets.
Fraudsters transfer your mobile number to a different carrier without your consent, redirecting your calls and texts to intercept security codes.
Automated bots place spoofed calls or texts posing as your bank's anti-fraud line and trick you into reading out a one-time passcode — the very code the scammer just triggered by logging into your account, instantly defeating two-factor authentication.
Ready-made criminal toolkits sold to low-skilled fraudsters enable highly convincing phishing campaigns at scale, complete with real-time credential relay, anti-detection, and automated victim management.
Long-con investment fraud that blends romance or friendship with a fake crypto trading platform.
Fraudulent gold, silver, and platinum schemes that sell overpriced, non-existent, or unallocated metals and block redemption.
Fraudsters sell fake or misrepresented short-term debt instruments — promissory notes — promising high fixed returns backed by corporate issuers that do not exist or cannot honour the obligation.
Coordinated hype that inflates a stock or token's price so insiders can sell at the top, crashing it.
Fake liquid-staking and restaking platforms, look-alike protocol clones, and "points" or airdrop-farming sites promise outsized restaked yields — then drain a wallet the moment it connects and approves a token spend.
Scammers build romantic or friendly relationships online before introducing a supposedly exclusive crypto mining pool that generates consistent returns until the victim tries to withdraw.
Developers launch a token or NFT project, attract investor funds, then abandon it and vanish with the liquidity.
Scammers use fake support, fake wallets, or alarming prompts to trick you into revealing your wallet's recovery phrase.
Fraudsters take over your mobile account by impersonating you to your carrier, then use your phone number to bypass two-factor authentication on banking and other accounts.
Attackers convince your mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a SIM they control, then use it to bypass SMS-based authentication and take over your accounts.
Fraudsters hijack your phone number by convincing your carrier to transfer it to a SIM they control, bypassing SMS-based two-factor authentication.
Criminals hijack your phone number through a fraudulent SIM swap or eSIM transfer, intercepting the SMS codes and calls your accounts rely on for identity verification, then use that access to break into email, banking, and crypto accounts.
Fraudsters create fake accounts impersonating celebrities, brands, or influencers to run fake giveaways that harvest personal data, cryptocurrency, or upfront fees.
Unregulated or dishonest leveraged spread betting platforms that manufacture sudden margin calls, requote prices against the client, and block withdrawals unless further 'top-up' payments are made.
Scammers trick players into sharing or approving a manipulated trade offer or trade URL, redirecting valuable in-game items or an entire inventory to an account they control.
Paid trading 'signal' or stock-tip groups that combine unverifiable performance claims with a referral commission for recruiting new subscribers, functioning more as a subscription-recruitment scheme than a genuine trading-education service.
Malicious smart contracts trick you into signing a transaction that transfers all your tokens and NFTs to a scammer.
Fake yield farming platforms advertise impossibly high annual percentage yields to attract deposits, then prevent withdrawals until victims have deposited substantially more funds.