When you hear about crypto fraud, illegal schemes designed to steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting users. Also known as crypto scams, it’s not just about hacked wallets—it’s about deception, fake promises, and manipulated trust. Every year, billions vanish in scams that look real until it’s too late. You’re not alone if you’ve seen a post promising free tokens, a new exchange with no reviews, or an airdrop that asks for your private key. These aren’t mistakes—they’re carefully built traps.
Airdrop scams, fake giveaways that trick users into paying fees or sharing sensitive data are everywhere. Look at SHREW, IguVerse, and ART Campaign—all promoted as free token opportunities, but none delivered. The team vanished, the website disappeared, and your wallet? Empty. Then there’s fake crypto exchanges, phantom platforms like RocketSwap and Nanex that never existed but still show up in Google searches. They copy real logos, steal domain names, and use fake testimonials. Some even create fake support chats to panic you into sending funds. And don’t forget SEC crypto enforcement, the U.S. agency that has fined over $4.68 billion in crypto-related fraud since 2024. The SEC isn’t just targeting unregistered tokens anymore—they’re going after outright lies. Terraform Labs, for example, was shut down for pretending its algorithmic stablecoin was stable. That case changed everything.
What’s the pattern? No team. No audit. No real utility. If a project claims to be the next big thing but won’t tell you who built it, avoid it. If the token price crashed 98% and the website is gone, it’s dead. If an airdrop asks you to connect your wallet before claiming anything, it’s a scam. The people behind these schemes count on your excitement, your FOMO, and your lack of research. But you can fight back. Know the red flags. Check the blockchain. Look for real transaction history. See if the project has a live Discord with active moderators—not just bots. And always, always remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Below, you’ll find real cases of fraud, broken promises, and the investigations that exposed them. No fluff. No hype. Just what happened, why it happened, and how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.
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