Know ScamSafety Academy
Counterfeit front ends
The interface is reproduced faithfully. Only the domain and the deposit address differ.
Gives it away: Judge by the URL; the visual layer proves nothing.
See the Safety Academy →
Education project by SimpleSwap
Know the Scam
Know the Scam is SimpleSwap's open documentation of crypto fraud: how each attack is constructed and what betrays it. This page sorts the patterns by method, because the defence differs by category.
Impersonation is defeated by verification. Device compromise is defeated by re-reading what is on screen. On-chain traps are defeated by understanding what a transaction authorises.
Signals that cross all three categories
Whatever the method, these six appear.
Manufactured urgencyA deadline you did not set.
Guaranteed returnsNothing on-chain provides one.
A request for your seed phraseNo service needs it, ever.
Contact you did not startThe approach arrived first.
Pressure to move platformsInto a channel that keeps no record.
A fee to release your fundsYour own money has no paywall.
Verification that actually settles it
simpleswap.io only
Any other domain carrying the name is a copy, however exact the interface.
The address bar decides
Logos, colours and layout clone in minutes. The domain does not.
A padlock is not identity
HTTPS encrypts the connection. Phishing sites hold valid certificates too.
No wallet connection
Standard swaps never require one, and never a seed phrase.
Support starts where you did
An account that contacts you first did not come from SimpleSwap.
Transfers do not reverse
Once confirmed there is no chargeback, so the check belongs before you send.
Grouped by method
Each links to its full write-up in Know Scam on the SimpleSwap blog.
Impersonation
Something pretends to be someone or something you trust.
Know ScamAug 31, 2026
Imitation that survives scrutiny
Modern copies withstand the checks people were trained to run.
Gives it away: Type the address yourself or use a saved bookmark.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamSafety Academy
Slow-build investment fraud
Rapport established over weeks, then a platform whose gains never withdraw.
Gives it away: The exit is where it breaks down.
See the Safety Academy →
Know ScamAug 5, 2026
Generated endorsements
A manufactured video of a public figure pledging to return double.
Gives it away: Anything requiring you to pay in first is the fraud.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamSep 9, 2026
Counterfeit assistance
Fake agents intercept public requests for help ahead of the real team.
Gives it away: Legitimate support never initiates the contact.
Read the breakdown →On your device
The attack happens between what you see and what actually goes through.
Know ScamAug 31, 2026
Substitution at paste time
Malicious software rewrites the copied address before it reaches the field.
Gives it away: Always re-read what actually landed.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamSep 1, 2026
Reward scripts
Code offering a bonus while collecting credentials or a signature.
Gives it away: Genuine rewards never involve running code.
Read the breakdown →On-chain traps
The transaction itself does the damage, exactly as instructed.
Know ScamAug 12, 2026
Permission harvesting
A signature that looks procedural but grants lasting control over tokens.
Gives it away: Inspect the permission itself, not the prompt around it.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamAug 25, 2026
Value skimmed in transit
Automated traders position around your pending order and pocket the difference.
Gives it away: Slippage tolerance is the setting that limits it.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamAug 25, 2026
Decoy entries in history
A lookalike address planted so a later copy lands on the wrong one.
Gives it away: Match the middle segment, not the bookends.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamAug 31, 2026
Tokens with no exit
Entry is unrestricted; the sale is blocked or the liquidity is withdrawn.
Gives it away: Evidence of completed sales is the test.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamSep 10, 2026
Claim-page drainers
Tokens you never requested, leading to a page built to empty the wallet.
Gives it away: Unsolicited balances are the lure, not a windfall.
Read the breakdown →Full documentation
Summaries here compress the SimpleSwap Safety Academy, updated as patterns evolve.