Learn / Keep it safe · 4 of 4
Common scams
Bitcoin payments cannot be reversed, so scammers work on people, not on the code.
- No one legitimate will ever ask for your recovery words.
- No government agency, bank, utility or police department will ever tell you to pay at a bitcoin ATM.
- Guaranteed returns, urgent deadlines and online "friends" pushing investments are all red flags.
The usual tricks
- Bitcoin ATM payments: a caller poses as the police, a tax agency, your bank or a utility. They say you must pay now and walk you to a bitcoin ATM. It is always a scam. Hang up and call the agency's real number.
- Fake support: a message or call from "your exchange" or "wallet support" asking for your words or a code.
- Giveaways: "Send 0.1 BTC and get 0.2 back," often in a fake livestream with an AI-made video of a famous person.
- Online friends: a new contact who slowly steers you to an investing app that shows big gains you can never withdraw.
- Look-alike addresses: malware can swap an address you copy. Scammers also send tiny payments from addresses that look like yours, matching the first and last few characters. They hope you copy one from your history. Check the whole address before you send.
- Fake apps and recovery services: look-alike wallets in app stores or ads, and people promising to get stolen coins back for a fee.
When in doubt, slow down. Real opportunities do not vanish in an hour.
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How big is the problem?
Americans reported about $11.4 billion lost to crypto fraud in 2025, according to the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report. The FBI says about $389 million of that went through crypto ATMs, the machines this page calls bitcoin ATMs. People 60 and older lost about $4.4 billion. Investment scams, which often start with a friendly text or a message on social media or a dating app, made up about $7.2 billion.
I think I was scammed. What should I do?
Stop sending money, save every message, address and transaction ID, and report it to the police or fraud agency where you live. In the US: ic3.gov (FBI) and reportfraud.ftc.gov. Canada: the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. UK: Report Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101). Australia: ReportCyber and Scamwatch. Elsewhere, your national police. Expect follow-up "recovery" offers to be scams too.
How do I check a wallet app is real?
Go to the maker's official website by typing the address yourself, and follow their link to the app store. Check the publisher name and reviews.
Should I tell people I own bitcoin?
Keep it low-key. Don't post amounts or screenshots online, and be wary of anyone who asks how much you hold. Criminals target people they believe have coins.