How do you protect yourself from a fake site?

Use a bookmark and check the address. Phishing relies on a lookalike address. A bookmark leads to the real site, while a chat link or an ad may lead to a copy.

"Send 1 BTC, get 2". What is it?

A scam, the money will not come back. Nobody doubles the coins you send. Once you transfer them, they go to the scammer for good.

What should you check before sending coins?

The full address and the network. Malware swaps addresses so that the start still matches. A full check and the right network protect you from losing coins.

Scams and phishing: stay safe

Lesson 8 of 39 in the course “Crypto”. Free, with animations and a quiz.

Fake websites

Phishing: scammers build a copy of an exchange or wallet site so that you type your password or seed phrase into it yourself. The address differs by a couple of letters or an extra word, as in the picture: "-login" at the end. The defense is simple: bookmark the real site and only go in from there. Check the address down to the last letter, even when the link came from a search ad.

Giveaways, "x2" and DMs

"Send 1 BTC, get 2", a "free airdrop" (a token giveaway), an urgent message from "support": scam classics. Real support never DMs you first. Turn on the anti-phishing code from the picture: a word you choose, which the exchange puts in every email it sends. No code means the email is fake. Sounds too good to be true? It is a trap.

Approvals in your wallet

Your own wallet means your own responsibility, as the picture says. An approval gives a site or a smart contract (a program on the blockchain) the right to spend your tokens. Sign an approval on a scam site and it can drain your tokens without you doing anything else. Do not sign what you do not understand, and revoke old approvals.

Address swapping

Some malware swaps a copied address for the scammer's address. The start and end often look alike, as in the picture. Check the full address, or at least the first and last 4–6 characters, plus the network. Send a test transfer first. On the exchange, turn on the withdrawal whitelist: a new address there often becomes active only after a delay, for example 24 hours.

Check yourself

How do you protect yourself from a fake site?
Correct answer: Use a bookmark and check the address. Phishing relies on a lookalike address. A bookmark leads to the real site, while a chat link or an ad may lead to a copy.
"Send 1 BTC, get 2". What is it?
Correct answer: A scam, the money will not come back. Nobody doubles the coins you send. Once you transfer them, they go to the scammer for good.
What should you check before sending coins?
Correct answer: The full address and the network. Malware swaps addresses so that the start still matches. A full check and the right network protect you from losing coins.

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