Crypto scams

If you’ve experienced a crypto scam, read our advice and learn how to get support. You can also report it to us online, by phone, or in person

What a crypto scam is

Cryptocurrencies (often called crypto) are a type of digital money that people can buy online.

Crypto scammers are often based overseas. Because they work online, they can target lots of people without much risk.

Cryptocurrencies can be involved in lots of different online scams. Common types of crypto scams include:

investment opportunities for fake businesses
phishing where scammers who pretend to be someone else (often a celebrity or someone from a well-known company such as Amazon or Microsoft)
blackmail or extortion scams
romance fraud

If you want to tell us about a crypto scam, you can report it online, by phone, or in person.

If you think you’ve been the target of a crypto scam, you can:

follow advice we made with the Cyber and Fraud Hub for signs of a crypto scam and what to do if it happens to you
be aware that after a scam, scammers will often target you in the future pretending to be an agency that can get your money back
if someone says they can get your money back do not speak to them or pay them

You can get support from other organisations:

Advertising Standards Agency has advice on avoiding fraud and lets you report any scam adverts
Stop! Think Fraud is the UK government’s fraud advice service
Take Five for tools and advice on how to avoid scams and fraud and what to do if it happens
Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland for advice and tools to protect yourself from fraud
Cyber and Fraud Hub for advice, self-help tools like scam checkers, and a scam response hotline (phone: 0808 281 3580)
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has tools and advice to help you stay safe online
Cyber Scotland to report cybercrime and get advice on how to protect yourself or an organisation from cybercrime
Get Safe Online for advice on how to protect yourself online

For more advice on protecting yourself from crypto scams, you can read: