How to avoid crypto scams: 7 tricks and how to spot them

How to avoid crypto scams comes down to three habits: never share your password, PIN or a code with anyone, check every payment in your own wallet instead of trusting a screenshot, and stop whenever someone rushes you. Almost every scam needs you to do one of two things: let someone into your account, or send money that can't come back.

Here are seven common tricks, the check that stops each one, and what to do if one catches you.

Why are crypto scams so hard to undo?

Because a blockchain transfer can't be reversed once the network confirms it. Nobody can pull it back, and that includes Peppy. So most scams end the same way, with crypto at an address the scammer controls.

Peppy builds a pause into every send. Each one waits for your PIN, and the review screen shows the address, the network and the amount first. That pause is the best moment to stop and check.

How do I spot a fake support account?

Fake support accounts copy a company's name and logo, then reply to people who post about a problem, or message them first. They're quick and friendly, and sooner or later they ask for your login details, send you a link, or tell you to move your money "to keep it safe".

The check: reach support yourself. Peppy's support is under Help & support in the app, and replies appear there and in your notifications. Be wary of anyone who finds you first. As the FTC puts it, no real business messages you on social media to ask for money.

Will Peppy ever ask for my password, PIN or a code?

No. Peppy will never ask for your password, PIN or private keys, by email, phone or chat. Anyone who does isn't Peppy.

Peppy holds the keys to your addresses, so you have no private key or seed phrase to hand over. Your password and PIN are what protect your wallet: anyone who has both can move your money. A password reset link in your email is yours alone, too. If someone asks you to read out a code, forward a link or "confirm" your PIN, they're trying to get in.

Is a payment screenshot proof that I've been paid?

No. A screenshot, a forwarded email or a text message is easy to fake, and so is a receipt. The only proof is money in your own balance.

The check: open your wallet and look. In Peppy, money that has arrived shows in your balance and in Activity, and when USDT arrives, Peppy also sends you a notice in the app and by email. You can also look up a USDT transfer by its transaction ID on Tronscan or Etherscan: how to check a USDT transaction.

Watch for two twists on the fake payment:

A lookalike token. Anyone can create a token and call it USDT. Peppy counts only USDT from Tether's own contract on each network, so a fake token doesn't show in your balance.
A fee to release the money. A message says your payment is waiting until you pay a "release" fee. Peppy's fees are on screen before you approve anything, and nobody from Peppy will ask you to pay to unlock, release or verify a transfer. How Peppy's fees work lists every one.

Someone says they sent me money by mistake. Should I send it back?

Not on their say-so. A stranger says they sent you money by accident, often with a screenshot as proof, and asks you to send it back, sometimes to a different account or address. Often nothing arrived, and you'd be paying them with your own money.

The check: look at your balance and Activity in the app, not at their screenshot. If nothing arrived, there's nothing to return. If money really did arrive, don't send it anywhere they name. Open Help & support, attach the transaction and tell Peppy what happened.

How do I spot a phishing link or a fake site?

A phishing message copies a real company's look and sends you to a fake sign-in page that records whatever you type. Its address sits close to the real one: one letter changed, a word or a hyphen added, a different ending.

The checks:

Go to Peppy yourself. Type app.peppyworld.lat or use a bookmark. Peppy's website is peppyworld.lat.
Read the address bar before you type your password.
Don't sign in from a link you weren't expecting, whether it came by text, email or social media.
Read your sign-in notices. Every new sign-in to Peppy sends one. If you get one you don't recognise, change your password and sign out other sessions from Security.

The same trick works on crypto addresses. Scammers make an address whose first and last characters match one you use, then send a tiny transfer from it so it shows up in your history on the blockchain, hoping you'll copy it next time. Take each address from the person you're paying, and check the middle as well as the ends.

Is an offer that doubles my money a scam?

Almost always. Fixed daily returns, "investment managers" who trade for you, a site a new online friend recommends, a giveaway that promises to double what you send: these are classic investment scams. The FTC's guide to crypto scams puts it simply: only scammers promise big returns, and online dating and investment advice should never mix.

The site they send you to looks real, but when you try to take money out, you can't.

Peppy doesn't offer investments. It doesn't pay interest on any balance, and Peppy Save locks money away without paying anything on it. Anyone offering you returns through Peppy isn't Peppy.

Why do scammers rush you?

Because a person who has time to think usually spots the trick. Pressure sounds like this: there's fraud on your account, your money is at risk, your account closes today, the price jumps tonight, keep this between us, don't tell your bank.

The check: slow down on purpose. A few minutes of checking costs you nothing. If the review screen is open and someone is waiting for you to enter your PIN, stop. Close it, and talk to someone you trust first.

What should I do if I've been scammed?

Stop sending. Don't pay anything more, including a "fee" that's meant to release your money.
Secure your account. If you shared your password, change it in Settings. That signs out your other sessions and puts a temporary hold on withdrawals. Can't sign in? Use Forgot your password on the sign-in screen. If you shared your PIN, change it in Security.
Tell Peppy. Open Help & support, attach the transaction and say what happened. Do it straight away if you think someone else has been in your account.
Keep the evidence: the messages, the address you sent to and the transaction ID.
Report it to the police or your country's fraud reporting service.

Can I get my crypto back?

Usually not. Once the network confirms a transfer, it can't be reversed, and the money sits at an address the scammer controls.

Watch for a second scam that follows the first: someone gets in touch offering to recover your crypto for a fee paid upfront. The FTC calls these "the worst of the worst", because they target people who have already lost money. Don't pay anyone to get your money back.

Good to know

Peppy will never ask for your password, PIN or private keys, by email, phone or chat.
Peppy's support is inside the app, under Help & support.
Every new sign-in sends a notice, and you can sign out other sessions from Security.
Blockchain transfers can't be reversed, so check the address and network before every send.

How Peppy protects your wallet covers the rest of its safeguards. And whenever a message says something has changed in your account, type app.peppyworld.lat yourself and look.