In 2025, over 17 billion USD was lost due to crypto scams, and this trend is expected to continue rising sharply into early 2026 with the support of AI making schemes more sophisticated. Below are some new or emerging types of scams that newcomers to crypto need to be particularly wary of, along with signs to recognize them and ways to avoid them.
1. Impersonation Scams (Impersonating identity)
This type of scam has increased by 1400% compared to the previous year, often using AI to create deepfakes (fake videos) or chatbots impersonating support staff from exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, or wallets like Phantom.
Scammers contact through DMs, calls, or group chats, claiming "the account has been hacked" and asking for coin transfers to "protect the user's assets."
Signs of scams to watch out for:
Contact from unofficial and unexpected sources
Request for seed phrase/private key
Request for urgent money transfer.
How to avoid:
Only contact support through official channels (app/site)
Do not share seed phrases
Enable 2FA and check the URL carefully, as there have been cases of losing millions of USD in just minutes.
2. Address Poisoning
Scammers send small transactions (dust attack) from addresses similar to your wallet address (only differing by a few characters), causing you to mistakenly copy from history and send coins to them.
This type is more common with volumes $ETH or high SOL increases, with some wallets losing 50M USD.
Signs to recognize:
Unusual transactions with small amounts
An address that looks familiar but is not.
How to avoid:
Always copy-paste the address manually
Thoroughly check 42 characters (ETH) or 44 (SOL)
Use hardware wallets like Ledger to verify
3. Bitcoin ATM Scams
Scammers convince victims (often elderly) to deposit cash into Bitcoin ATMs and then send fake QR codes, leading to money loss. In the U.S., over 333M USD was lost in 2025, and the FBI warns that this trend is sharply increasing in 2026.
Newcomers need to be especially cautious when someone calls asking for immediate deposits to "resolve issues" like hacks or fines.
In Vietnam, this form is less common; however, everyone should still be cautious and not use Bitcoin ATMs if they are not familiar, only trade through reputable exchanges.
4. Pig Butchering with AI (Raising pigs and "butchering")
Scammers build relationships through dating apps or social media, then lure victims into investing in a "special platform" using AI to predict prices. They use deepfakes to impersonate experts, leading to total loss.
This type accounts for 62% of the hacking or scamming incidents in 2025.
Signs:
Promise of high returns
Request to use unfamiliar apps/wallets
Gradually demand large investments.
How to avoid:
Do not invest based on strangers' words
Be sure to check apps via Etherscan/DexScreener
Use cold wallets for large amounts.
5. Fake Accounts and Copycat Tokens
Creating fake YouTube/TikTok channels mimicking large projects or copycat tokens (similar names/icons but different addresses) to lure purchases. Recently, a scam used an investment model based on AI tips to defraud 14M USD.
Signs: Fake views/followers, promises of giveaways or "hot" tips.
How to avoid:
Check the official account of the project
Purchase tokens only through reputable DEXs like Uniswap
Check the contract address
6. Scam Exchanges and Freezing Funds
Fake exchanges like Changelly or TradeOgre requiring KYC and then locking funds, transferring them elsewhere. This is a new trend from offshore exchanges that do not comply with AML.
Signs:
Not officially registered
Kickback from wallets like Ledger/Exodus.
How to avoid: Only use large exchanges like Binance and check reviews on reputable channels like Chainalysis.