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Recently, there have been more and more cases of scammers posing as Binance Angels—our volunteers who help moderate Binance’s Telegram and Discord channels.
True Angels adhere to a strict code of conduct. They will never contact you via private messages. They are unable to resolve account issues or provide customer support and will never offer any such service.
Have you been a victim of fraud? Immediately report the incident to law enforcement and Binance support.
Recently a new type of scam has emerged. Beware of people pretending to be Binance Angels in private messages. These could be impostors trying to steal your money.
Imposter scams are on the rise in the digital world. In these schemes, attackers impersonate government officials, such as law enforcement and other government officials. If you want to learn more, check out our previous article about impostor scammers in the world of cryptocurrencies.
We've recently heard of a number of cases where scammers have impersonated Binance Angels, members of our community of cryptocurrency enthusiasts and volunteers who support the Binance ecosystem.
Using the names and profiles of real Binance Angels, these scammers extort money and personal information from cryptocurrency owners. In this article we will tell you how to recognize real Binance Angels and avoid becoming a victim of scammers.
What do real Binance Angels look like?
Please note: the criteria below only applies to official Binance Telegram channels. A complete list of our official communities and links to them are provided at the bottom of this page.
Don't forget that scammers can easily create a fake Binance group and pretend to be Angels. Before joining a new channel, always check our communities list and avoid channels that are not there.
Binance Angels adhere to certain standards when communicating on the official Binance Telegram channels.
1. Each Angel has their own Telegram account associated with a unique Telegram ID.
2. In the group description, next to the name of such a user there should be a Binance Angel tag. Angel profiles in the official Binance Telegram group have this tag. Do not trust a person who calls himself an Angel if he does not have this mark, even if he is a member of the official Binance Telegram group.
3. Angels are listed as administrators in their respective local official Binance Telegram communities. 4. Remember that real Angels will never be the first to send you private messages.
If you have any doubts, contact Binance support: we will help you check whether you are on the official Telegram channel or communicating with a scammer.
What will a Binance Angel never do?
Angels are community volunteers. They have personal opinions that do not necessarily reflect the views of Binance. However, Binance Angels always adhere to a strict code of conduct when interacting with community members.
Beware of anyone claiming to be an Angel if they:
1) sends you a private message first;
2) provides financial advice;
3) asks to invest in some project;
4) advertises some coins or other services;
5) offers to solve problems with your account or provide customer support.
The main role of Angels is to moderate our regional communities on Telegram and Discord. Their responsibilities include directing people to appropriate resources and creating a safe and welcoming environment for new users. For more information, see the article How do Binance Angels moderate local communities on Telegram?
They sometimes help the Binance team with events such as community meetups or Binance Blockchain Week.
Example from life
The user, whom we'll call Mark, joins the official Binance Telegram group in his region. He is looking for someone who can help him learn more about a specific cryptocurrency that has been added to Binance. A person claiming to be a Binance Angel sends him a private message.
Mark is sure that this is a real Binance Angel who is trying to help him. In reality, this “Angel” is a scammer in disguise who is scamming unsuspecting users. The scammer sends Mark a phishing link that supposedly contains information about a project that interests Mark. Mark follows the link and enters his information, thereby unknowingly giving the scammer access to his account.
Having Mark's Binance account credentials in hand, the scammer withdraws all funds to his wallet address. Mark realizes that he has become a victim only when the money is long gone.
Something went wrong? Here are the warning signs:
“Angel” himself sent Mark a personal message. This was the first sign that something fishy was afoot. Angels never send private messages first.
Mark did not check the description of the official Binance Telegram group to see if there was a Binance angel tag next to the username in his profile.
Mark followed an unknown link without checking its authenticity. Always check the links on Binance Verify: this is our database of official Binance domains, employee names and email addresses.
What to do if you become a victim of scammers?
If you have provided your personal information to a scammer, immediately block your bank and other financial accounts, change your passwords, and immediately take other steps to keep your money safe.
If your Binance account has been hacked, disable it and follow the instructions in the article How to Report Fraud on the Binance App?
Report fraud to the police. Binance works closely with law enforcement agencies around the world, and this often results in the arrest of criminals and the recovery of stolen assets.
Be wary of offers of “refund services.” Although sometimes you may be offered real help, often these are just false promises or advance payment scams. Don't fall for another trick.
Additional Information
How to recognize fraud? — a series of articles about the most common cryptocurrency scams.
How to become a Binance Angel
Six years of Binance: remembering the past with our Angels