Beware of five types of cryptocurrency scams in 2025: First, upgraded phishing scams, including fake websites, false airdrops, impersonating customer service, and supply chain attacks; second, false projects and Ponzi coins, enticing investments with high returns, referral models, air coins, and false endorsements; third, social engineering scams, such as "pig butchering," impersonating investment mentors, sweet traps, and impersonating acquaintances for help; fourth, technical vulnerability scams, involving flash loan attacks, smart contract vulnerabilities, front-running, and private key cracking; fifth, ransomware and malware attacks, stealing assets through ransomware, stealing software, clipboard hijacking, and Trojan programs.
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Upgraded phishing scams
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Fake websites and apps: Scammers create counterfeit websites or mobile apps that closely resemble well-known trading platforms, tricking users into entering their private keys or account information.
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False airdrops and giveaways: Posting false airdrop or giveaway information through social media, emails, or instant messaging tools, asking users to connect their digital asset addresses to steal assets.
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Impersonating customer service and officials: Scammers impersonate customer service personnel from trading platforms, inducing users to click malicious links or disclose personal information under the pretext of "account issues" or "security upgrades."
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Supply chain attacks: By hacking legitimate projects' official websites or social media accounts, they post malicious links or download addresses, infecting users' devices or stealing information.
False projects and Ponzi coins
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"High yield" temptation: Promising "fixed returns" or "high interest" far exceeding market averages, attracting investors to invest large sums of money, ultimately running away.
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"Referral" model: Encouraging investors to develop downlines, earning commissions through downline investments, forming a pyramid scheme structure, where all participants suffer once the funding chain breaks.
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Air coins and imitation coins: Issuing "air coins" with no actual application value or technical support, inflating prices through marketing hype, then quickly selling off, leaving investors holding the bag.
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False endorsements and celebrity effects: Claiming to have investment from well-known institutions or endorsements from social celebrities to increase the project's credibility, which is actually false advertising.
Social engineering and emotional scams
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"Pig butchering": Scammers build relationships through online dating platforms, gaining the victim's trust, then inducing them to invest in fake cryptocurrency projects or platforms.
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Impersonating investment mentors: Pretending to be "successful investors" or "mentors" on social media, providing "insider information" or "guaranteed high returns" investment advice to deceive victims into investing.
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"Sweet traps": Establishing intimate relationships through online chats, then requesting the other party to provide digital assets or transfer money for various reasons.
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Impersonating acquaintances for help: Using stolen social accounts to impersonate the victim's acquaintances, requesting help under the guise of urgent matters, asking for digital asset transfers.
Technical vulnerabilities and smart contract scams
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Flash loan attacks: Exploiting vulnerabilities in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to manipulate market prices through flash loans for profit.
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Smart contract vulnerabilities: Some DeFi projects have vulnerabilities in their smart contract code, allowing hackers to exploit these vulnerabilities to steal assets from the contracts.
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Front-running: Malicious participants monitor transactions on the blockchain and submit their own transactions in advance to gain an unfair advantage.
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Private key cracking and credential stuffing attacks: Using technical means to crack users' private keys or obtaining account information through credential stuffing attacks, thereby stealing digital assets.
Ransomware and malware attacks
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Ransomware: Spreading ransomware through emails, malicious websites, or software, encrypting victims' files and demanding payment in digital assets.
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Digital asset stealing software: Disguised as legitimate applications or plugins, once installed, it steals users' digital assets or private key information.
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Clipboard hijacking: Malware monitors users' clipboards, automatically replacing copied digital asset addresses with the attacker's address when users copy them.
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Trojan programs: By implanting Trojan programs, remotely controlling users' devices, stealing digital asset transaction information, or directly making transfers.