{"id":39754,"date":"2019-11-14T08:38:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T07:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coinpro.ch\/uncategorized\/crypto-scam-the-most-well-known-methods-at-a-glance\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:21:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:21:52","slug":"crypto-scam-the-most-well-known-methods-at-a-glance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coinpro.ch\/en\/knowledge\/crypto-scam-the-most-well-known-methods-at-a-glance\/","title":{"rendered":"Crypto scam: An overview of the most well-known methods in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crypto scams are among the biggest risks for investors in the digital currency market. As Bitcoin<\/a> and other cryptocurrencies become more widespread, fraud attempts are also steadily increasing.<\/p>\n

Criminals often follow a similar pattern: they lure you with promises of high profits, build trust, and get victims to send money to supposedly reputable platforms or wallet addresses. In many cases, the transferred amounts are lost for good.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cscam\u201d refers to deliberate fraud in which investors are persuaded to make an advance payment without receiving any real value in return. Especially in crypto, numerous methods have become established in recent years\u2014from phishing and fake platforms to more complex fraud schemes.<\/p>\n

In this article, you\u2019ll learn how crypto scams work, which methods are currently especially common, and how to spot fraudulent offers early.<\/p>\n

The most dangerous crypto scams in 2026 at a glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some of the best-known crypto or Bitcoin scams have been around for many years. But as technology advances, criminals come up with brand-new methods every year that aren\u2019t easy to see through.<\/p>\n

AI & deepfakes<\/h3>\n

Today, anyone can digitally change their identity with AI tools\u2014no technical know-how required. What used to be limited to fake profiles of ordinary people or celebrities has now become professionalized in the crypto-scam space. Criminals can even create deceptively real videos, change their voices, and even appear as someone else in live calls.<\/p>\n

It becomes especially dangerous when deepfake technology is combined with social media. Videos of alleged CEOs, influencers, or well-known figures from the crypto scene are circulating more and more often, supposedly promoting exclusive investment opportunities or giveaways. In reality, these are manipulated contents designed solely to get investors to transfer cryptocurrencies.<\/p>\n

Criminals also pose as support staff from reputable crypto exchanges<\/a>. In video calls or voice messages, they urge users to reveal their login details or confirm transactions. With AI, these conversations seem increasingly authentic and are hard to spot even for experienced users.<\/p>\n

Romance scams & \u201cpig butchering\u201d<\/h3>\n

In romance scams, fraudsters deliberately build an emotional relationship with their victims over weeks or months\u2014usually via dating apps or social media. The goal is to gain trust before money is even mentioned.<\/p>\n

As things progress, the perpetrators bring up cryptocurrencies and present supposedly lucrative investment opportunities. Often, small profits are simulated at first to increase credibility. As soon as larger amounts are invested, the scammers disappear or block withdrawals.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cpig butchering\u201d describes this approach well: victims are first \u201cfattened up\u201d before being financially drained.<\/p>\n

Fake exchanges and deceptively real trading platforms (Ponzi & pyramid schemes)<\/h3>\n

Soon after the first major successes of the world\u2019s first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, fake crypto exchanges<\/a> appeared on the market. Promoted via email or as search-engine ads, they cost some investors substantial sums. These are supposedly good and often particularly cheap exchanges that, in fact, don\u2019t exist. As fakes, they were created solely to enrich criminals.<\/p>\n

With slogans like \u201cDouble now your Bitcoins,\u201d investors are persuaded to transfer as much as possible upfront, lured by enormous returns. The boldly presented profits within the system are portrayed as returns from sales. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that other investors are the source of those funds. In the end, only the creators of these systems come out ahead.<\/p>\n

It can even happen that these platforms pay out initial supposed profits. However, this is only to build further trust and is based on a classic Ponzi or pyramid scheme.<\/p>\n

Ransomware<\/h3>\n

This involves illegal programs that, as a type of cyberhacking, block computers or mobile devices of victims – blockages remain in place until \u201cransom\u201d is paid. These funds often flow into Bitcoin or privacy coins such as Monero. It becomes particularly dramatic when, for example, hospitals or authorities are affected by attacks. <\/p>\n

CoinPro.ch tip: Do not click on links in e-mails from people you do not know, dispose of e-mails immediately! You should never enter personal data on websites whose seriousness you are not sure of. You should also ignore software submissions from unknown sources in your own interest. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Closely linked to ransomware is the topic of Bitcoin extortion. In this case, you may receive emails whose senders claim to have important personal data about you. If you don\u2019t send Bitcoins or altcoins to the specified crypto wallet<\/a>, they threaten to publish illegally obtained sensitive data. Extortion also often involves software that takes control of infected systems, making them inaccessible to their owners.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scam coins & rug pulls in presales and new cryptocurrencies<\/h3>\n

As lucrative as some newly launched presales<\/a> may sound, some projects are just as risky\u2014as many experts rightly warn. Scam coins are altcoins designed to collect money from investors. The idea is to build a new business, and\u2014according to the brochures\u2014the backers are supposed to share in the success. Unfortunately, recent years have shown that criminals repeatedly try to make big money in the ICO sector at investors\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n

CoinPro.ch tip: Realistic-sounding white papers and product details are a good indication of seriousness. If established companies are behind Initial Coin Offerings, this also speaks for security. The difficulty here is that there have always been suspicions on the market against popular coins (e.g. OneCoin) of being a scam attempt. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Crypto Variant 5: Malware and Phishing Attacks<\/h3>\n

Phishing attacks were already a problem for many Internet users before the crypto boom. In this case, personal access data such as passwords are requested by mail. These are phishing emails. These contain, for example, links to deceptively real-looking copies of well-known websites. After the forwarding, users are asked to enter their data, which the perpetrators then \u201cphish\u201d on the phishing websites. A certain amount of IT know-how is required to recognize such forgeries, for example by looking at the address. <\/p>\n

CoinPro.ch tip: Banks, wallet services, crypto exchanges and other providers in the industry do not work with such link mails. Rather, they will call on you to visit the correct pages in order to update data and take account measures there. It is advisable to delete suspicious emails immediately. This also applies to spam emails with attached software. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In many cases it is malware. Behind this is a malicious program that manipulates data on the system. This is particularly risky for users of so-called browser wallets. Malware is also often used to carry out illegal mining unnoticed on computers. In such a crypto scam, the storage capacities and electricity of the victims are consumed. This increases the electricity costs seemingly without reason and computers work more slowly or are more susceptible to malfunctions. <\/p>\n