1. Fake Airdrop Scams
Scammers create fake token airdrops that appear in your wallet uninvited. When you try to swap or interact with these tokens, they trigger malicious smart contract approvals that drain your real assets. To avoid this, never interact with unknown tokens that appear in your wallet. Use CryptoGuard to check if a token contract is flagged before touching it.
2. Approval Phishing
This scam tricks you into signing a token approval transaction that gives the attacker unlimited access to your tokens. It often comes disguised as a legitimate dApp interaction, NFT mint, or airdrop claim. Once you approve, the attacker can drain your wallet at any time. Always review what you're approving in your wallet, and regularly revoke unused approvals.
3. Pig Butchering (Romance Scams)
Attackers build long-term relationships with victims through dating apps, social media, or messaging platforms. Over weeks or months, they gain trust and eventually convince the victim to invest in a fake crypto platform. The platform shows fake gains, but when you try to withdraw, the funds are gone. Never invest based on a stranger's recommendation, no matter how convincing they seem.
4. Fake Customer Support
Scammers impersonate support agents from exchanges, wallet providers, or DeFi protocols on Twitter, Discord, and Telegram. They ask you to share your screen, connect your wallet to a fake site, or reveal your seed phrase. Legitimate support teams will never ask for your seed phrase or private keys. Always navigate to official websites directly instead of clicking links from DMs.
5. Rug Pulls
A rug pull occurs when a token or project creator removes all liquidity from a pool after investors buy in, making the token worthless. In 2026, these are increasingly sophisticated with locked liquidity that can still be exploited via backdoor functions. Check the contract source code, verify liquidity locks, and scan the deployer wallet with CryptoGuard before investing.
6. Address Poisoning
Attackers send tiny transactions from addresses that look almost identical to ones you've previously interacted with (matching the first and last few characters). When you copy an address from your transaction history, you might accidentally paste the attacker's address instead. Always verify the full address character by character, not just the first and last few digits.
7. Clipboard Hijacking
Malware on your device monitors your clipboard and replaces any crypto address you copy with the attacker's address. You think you're sending funds to the right wallet, but they go straight to the scammer. Always double-check the pasted address against the original before confirming any transaction. Use a hardware wallet for large transfers.
8. Fake DEX/DeFi Platforms
Scammers create pixel-perfect clones of popular DEXes like Uniswap, PancakeSwap, or Jupiter. These fake sites appear in search ads or phishing links and prompt you to connect your wallet. Once connected, a malicious transaction drains your funds. Always bookmark official DEX URLs and never connect your wallet through a link from social media, email, or search ads.
9. SIM Swap Attacks
Attackers convince your mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to their SIM card. With your number, they can bypass SMS-based two-factor authentication and gain access to your exchange accounts. Protect yourself by using authenticator apps instead of SMS for 2FA, and contact your carrier to add a PIN or security freeze to your account.
10. Mixer-Based Laundering
Wallets that receive funds through mixers like Tornado Cash or Blender.io may be tainted with stolen or sanctioned funds. If you unknowingly receive or interact with these wallets, your own address could be flagged by exchanges and compliance platforms. Use CryptoGuard to scan any wallet before transacting to check for mixer exposure and sanctions risk.
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