Impersonation scams in crypto, explained

cointelegraph.com:

In impersonation scams, fraudsters pretend to be reliable individuals, exchanges or services to trick users into sending cryptocurrencies or disclosing personal information.

In the context of cryptocurrencies, due to the pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrency transactions and the level of relative secrecy they provide, impersonation scams are common. So, how do impersonation scams work in crypto? 

In the crypto world, impersonation frauds often take place in stages. Scammers sometimes impersonate famous people, influential people or trustworthy cryptocurrency platforms while creating their false online identities. Through these phony profiles, they interact with potential victims and win their trust by using convincing language or bogus credentials.

Under the pretense of investment opportunities or freebies, they ask victims to contribute cryptocurrency or share personal information in order to carry out the fraud. Once the victims comply, the con artists take the money or the data and vanish.

People can defend themselves from crypto impersonation frauds by being vigilant, confirming the legitimacy of communications, avoiding unwanted offers and putting security measures like two-factor authentication and strong passwords into place.

Crypto impersonation scams involve scammers impersonating celebrities, influencers, customer support or fake platforms to steal cryptocurrency or personal information.

Here are some common types of impersonation scams in the crypto space:

Scammers build false social media profiles that closely mimic those of well-known people or crypto influencers. To appear genuine, they employ similar identities, profile images and bios.

Scammers imitate reputable crypto platforms or services by sending