Recognise account takeovers, malicious approvals, impersonation, device compromise, and the physical risks created by public transaction history.
Start hereA crypto scam is a fraud that manipulates a person into authorising the loss of their own cryptocurrency, whether by sending funds to a criminal, revealing a seed phrase or login code, or signing a transaction that hands over spending power. Scams attack judgement rather than cryptography, which is why the defences are habits rather than software.
Part 2Chainalysis identified at least 14 billion US dollars of 2025 on-chain inflows to addresses classified as scams or fraud according to on-chain analysis, with the full total projected to exceed 17 billion as more illicit addresses are identified.
Part 3Crypto incident response is the sequence of actions that limits damage after assets or access are compromised: diagnose the type of breach, evacuate remaining funds from a clean device, revoke or freeze what the attacker can still use, secure surrounding accounts, report to platforms and law enforcement, and rebuild in a safer structure.
Part 4A wallet drainer is criminal infrastructure, typically rented as a service, that steals through usable authority: a new authorisation the owner is deceived into signing, a signature made with an already-stolen key, or a permission granted long ago to a spender that later turns hostile.
Part 5On-chain privacy is the degree to which blockchain activity can be linked to a real-world identity. Transparent blockchains publish every transaction, amount, address and timestamp forever, so privacy rests entirely on unlinkability: keeping addresses unconnected to each other and to a name.
Part 6A wrench attack is a physical attack on a crypto holder that replaces hacking with force: robbery, home invasion, kidnapping or extortion aimed at making the victim hand over keys or authorise transfers. The name comes from a security comic's observation that a five-dollar wrench beats expensive cryptography by hitting the person instead of the maths.
Part 7The Crypto Loss Report is a periodically updated taxonomy of the ways crypto holders actually lose assets, ordered by evidence rather than by fear.
Part 8Two-factor authentication is an account security method that requires two independent proofs of identity before granting access: typically something you know, such as a password, plus something you have, such as a phone, an authenticator app or a hardware key. It protects an account even when the password leaks.
10 Most Common Crypto Scams and How to Spot Them. Start with the first guide. It introduces the vocabulary used by every later guide in this learning path.
No. Follow the sequence for a structured introduction, or open the guide that answers your current question and return to earlier material when a concept is unfamiliar.
Continue with one of the related clusters below. Each path approaches the same systems from a different angle.
Recognise account takeovers, malicious approvals, impersonation, device compromise, and the physical risks created by public transaction history. Keep the glossary open alongside the articles and use each knowledge check to identify concepts worth revisiting.
Recognise how people actually get hit—account takeovers, scams, and malicious approvals—and the habits that keep you safe. The guides separate protocol behaviour from the operational, market, custody, and human risks that surround it.
