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Spotting scams

Nine signs a crypto website is fake

4 min read · Updated August 1, 2026

Fake platforms are cheap to build and often look better than real ones. Design tells you nothing. These nine details do.

The checklist

Any one of these is a reason to stop. Two or more, and you should assume the site is fraudulent.

  • The domain was registered recently — most fraudulent sites are under six months old.
  • There is no company registration number, licence number, or verifiable address.
  • Returns are stated as fixed percentages, especially daily or weekly.
  • Support is only available through Telegram or WhatsApp.
  • You were sent the link rather than finding the site yourself.
  • Deposits are crypto-only, or there is a 'preferred' wallet address to send to.
  • The site name closely resembles a well-known brand with a small spelling change.
  • There is a countdown, bonus deadline, or limited allocation pressuring you to act.
  • Withdrawals require paying a fee, tax, or upgrade first.

How to verify instead of guessing

Search the exact domain name alongside the word 'scam' in a fresh browser tab. Check the regulator's own register rather than a licence badge shown on the site — those images are trivial to fake.

You can also paste the website, phone number, wallet address or company name into our free check to see whether the community has already reported it.

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Paste a website, number, wallet address or company name and see what the community has reported. Free, and takes under a minute.

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