Scam Encyclopedia
Every type of crypto scam, explained. Learn the playbook before they play you.
Latest from Scam Encyclopedia
Brooklyn: 241 Fake Crypto Sites Aimed at Russian Speakers Shut Down
Brooklyn prosecutors and the FBI seized 112 servers behind a crypto scam that took tens of millions from Russian speakers, then tried to rob them again.
Greek Soldiers Accused Over $8M 'Double in 50 Days' Crypto Pyramid
Greek police arrested 17, nine of them soldiers, over FXO, a crypto scheme that promised to double money in 50 days and took about $8M from 10,000 people.
XinbiPay: A Sanctioned Scam Market's Visa Card and the Questions for UPay
Weeks after US sanctions on Xinbi, ZachXBT asked whether UPay let it brand a Visa card. UPay denies any link, froze a card programme and is investigating.
Xinbi Guarantee: The $24B Telegram Market That Kept the Scam Compounds Supplied
Xinbi sold scam gangs victim data, fake websites and money laundering on Telegram. In September 2026 the US froze $52.8M and sanctioned it.
AI Scams: The Person Video Calling You About Your Wallet Does Not Exist
TRM Labs says AI use in crypto crime rose 40% in a year. Deepfake calls and chatbots made the costly human part of a scam almost free.
DOJ: $25M Seized From Scammers Who Robbed Crypto Fraud Victims a Second Time
In July 2026 the DOJ moved to seize $25M in crypto from scammers, including fake recovery experts who robbed fraud victims a second time.
Mining Automatic: $22M Raised, 13% Spent on Mining
Zan Shaikh's Mining Automatic promised 380 investors 3% a month from crypto mining. The SEC says 13% of their $22 million went on mining.
Bitcoin ATMs: $389M Lost to Scams in 2025, and Bitcoin Depot Went Bust
Americans lost $389M to crypto ATM scams in 2025, mostly older people told to feed in cash. Then the biggest operator, Bitcoin Depot, went bust.
AI agents and automation
Could AI answer your customers from your own documents?
Assistants trained on your files, website and FAQs, with limits on what they can say. Fixed price before any work starts.
AI agents and automation
Also in Scam Encyclopedia
Operation Atlantic: When the Secret Service Started Hunting Scammers in Real Time
Polymarket's Dirty Secret: How Whales Rig the 'Truth Machine'
Goliath Ventures: The Ex-In-N-Out Worker Behind a $400M Crypto Ponzi
The Prince Group: The $15 Billion Pig Butchering Factory Built on Human Trafficking
Address Poisoning: The $50M Lost to One Copy-Paste
More from Scam Encyclopedia
Pig Butchering: The Long Con That Starts With a Text
A friendly stranger, a fake trading app, then fees to withdraw. Americans reported $7.2B lost to crypto investment scams in 2025.
Ponzi Schemes: Old Trick, New Blockchain, Same Ending
The oldest fraud in finance found its best disguise in crypto. New investors pay the old ones until the money runs out. The ending never changes.
Pump and Dump: How Insiders Cash Out on Your FOMO
Insiders buy a tiny token cheap, hype it, then sell to the late crowd. How crypto pump and dumps work, from Telegram groups to the $HAWK crash.
Phishing: One Click and Your Wallet Is Gone
Phishing cons the owner instead of hacking the code: fake sites, fake support calls, fake job offers. Drainer kits alone took $494M in 2024.
Influencer Scams: The $100K Tweet That Costs You Everything
A famous face posts about a token, followers buy, insiders sell. Regulators have fined a few promoters, and in 2025 the SEC mostly stopped looking.
Fake Airdrops: Free Money That Drains Your Wallet
Unrequested tokens turn up in a crypto wallet with a link to claim more. The claim is a signed blank cheque, and the wallet is emptied.