{"id":66499,"date":"2026-08-10T19:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwallet.com.ua\/?p=66499"},"modified":"2026-08-10T19:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:45:27","slug":"how-to-avoid-crypto-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lwallet.com.ua\/en\/how-to-avoid-crypto-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Crypto Scams: 10 Fraud Schemes That Work in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

From \u201ctrust, but verify\u201d to \u201cdo not trust \u2014 verify\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

$14 billion. That is how much crypto scammers received in 2025 according to confirmed on-chain data from Chainalysis<\/a>. The real figure is higher: analysts expect the total to exceed $17 billion as new wallets that were not previously flagged as fraudulent continue to be identified each year. For comparison, the revised estimate for 2024 reached approximately $12 billion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The average amount sent by a single victim in one payment increased from $782 to $2,764 \u2014 roughly 3.5 times higher in one year. Scammers have become more precise: fewer mass messages sent at random, more targeted attacks aimed at specific people with specific balances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Below are 10 schemes we see most often, along with practical rules on how to avoid crypto scams in 2026. Only the scams that are working right now, with real cases and practical recommendations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Pig butchering: the \u201clong fattening\u201d scam<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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By total losses, this is one of the most expensive fraud schemes of 2025\u20132026. Both law-enforcement agencies and analysts rank it among the main categories of investment fraud. The name comes from Chinese scammer slang: the victim is \u201cfattened up\u201d before the money is taken. A person is groomed for weeks or months, an emotional connection is built, and only then are investments introduced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How it works<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A stranger contacts you through Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, or a dating platform. They may present themselves as an investor, entrepreneur, or simply an interesting person. During the first few weeks, there is no mention of money: just normal conversation, questions about your life, photo exchanges, and sometimes video calls using a deepfake or a real person following a script.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The investment topic appears gradually and casually. \u201cI made good money on one platform,\u201d or \u201clook, it works.\u201d You are directed to a website that looks like a professional exchange: charts, orders, and 24\/7 support. You deposit a small amount, see apparent \u201cgrowth,\u201d and add more. When you try to withdraw, new barriers appear: a \u201cprofit tax,\u201d an \u201cunlocking fee,\u201d or \u201cidentity verification.\u201d Every new requirement is another payment to the scammers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Scale<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In February 2026, the U.S. Scam Center Strike Force reported that the volume of cryptocurrency frozen, seized, and forfeited in connection with scam centers in Southeast Asia had exceeded $580 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, such centers use investment and confidence schemes to extract money from victims, while workers inside the compounds are often victims of human trafficking themselves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is a separate and disturbing side of the scheme. Many pig-butchering operators are not voluntary scammers. People from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and other Southeast Asian countries are lured with job offers, have their documents taken away, and are forced to work in scam centers. There are victims on both sides: the people targeted and the people made to carry out the scams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How to recognize it<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n