SimpleSwap

Scam Check: 8 Questions Before You Send Crypto

One quarter of this series, condensed into eight questions. None require technical knowledge, and together they catch almost every pattern in the Safety Academy.

The 8 questions

In the order they tend to matter. Save it, send it, or run it in your head before the next transfer.

  1. 1

    Did they contact me first?

    Support answers where you asked – it doesn't DM you first. If the conversation started because someone reached out, treat everything in it as unverified, no matter how correct their details look.

    See fake support
  2. 2

    How did I get to this page?

    A bookmark you made yourself, typed by hand, is safe. A search ad, a message link, or a QR code gives no such guarantee – the padlock doesn't help, since most phishing pages have one too.

    See crypto phishing
  3. 3

    Am I being asked to send in order to receive?

    This one line kills giveaways, doublers, and release fees at once: nobody genuinely giving you money needs yours first. Sending to receive a different asset is an exchange – sending to unlock money you're told is already yours is not.

    See fake giveaways
  4. 4

    Am I receiving something or granting something?

    A real airdrop moves tokens toward you. A drainer asks for permission over tokens you already hold – if a “free tokens” page wants you to approve or sign something, that request is the product.

    See fake airdrops
  5. 5

    Does this require my recovery phrase?

    If yes, stop – there's no exception. No exchange, wallet provider, support agent, or government agency ever needs your seed phrase to do anything. Anyone who asks for it is the attack, whatever the pretext.

    See wallet drainers
  6. 6

    Have I checked the address actually in the field?

    Not the one you copied – the one sitting in the box right now. Compare the middle of the string, not just the first and last characters, since that's exactly what address poisoning and clipboard malware count on you skipping.

    See address poisoning
  7. 7

    Can I get out?

    Ask before you get in. For a token: can independent wallets actually sell it? For a platform: can you withdraw a small amount today, fee-free? A chart that only goes up can mean nobody is permitted to leave.

    See honeypot tokens
  8. 8

    What is the hurry?

    Urgency is the one ingredient present in nearly every scam here – a countdown exists to stop you asking the other seven questions. Real opportunities and real support are worth your time. If something can't wait, that's the finding.

The short version

Five verdicts, condensed from the eight questions above.

If receiving requires sending, it's theft with extra steps.

If they contacted you, you can't verify them by talking to them.

If it needs your seed phrase, it's over.

If you can't exit, you never owned it.

If it can't wait an hour, that's your answer.

Four rules, no exceptions

Since question eight is about pressure, here's ours removed: nothing about a swap is urgent, and we will never contact you to say otherwise.

We don't message first

Not by DM, email, or phone.

We never ask for a recovery phrase

No support scenario needs it, ever.

We don't charge fees to release transfers

There's no “unlock fee” between you and your funds.

Every swap has an Exchange ID

That's what real support works from – not a DM.

Address Check

Question six has a tool of its own. From your Customer Account, Address Check screens a destination address through third-party services and returns a risk level with the connections it found – something the string itself can't tell you.

It doesn't confirm you pasted the right address, so it adds a step rather than replacing one.

Learn more about Address Check

Want the full breakdown?

Read the full guide for the complete reasoning behind each question.

Scam Check FAQ

Did they contact me first? How did I get to this page? Am I being asked to send in order to receive? Am I receiving something or granting something? Does this require my recovery phrase? Have I checked the address actually in the field? Can I get out? What is the hurry? Together they catch almost every pattern in the Safety Academy.

“Did they contact me first?” It filters an enormous share of what follows – a fast, convincing reply to something you posted publicly is never proof of identity, no matter how much the sender already knows.

Because it's the one ingredient present in nearly every scam pattern – the countdown exists specifically to stop you from asking the other seven questions. Real support and real opportunities are worth the time it takes to check.

No, it complements it. Address Check screens a destination address for known risk connections once you're sure the string itself is correct – it's a separate step, available in your Customer Account, not a replacement for checking the address by eye first.

Yes. SimpleSwap has processed more than 20M swaps since 2018 without ever requiring a wallet connection or token approval for a standard exchange. Test any message claiming to be us against the four rules on this page rather than taking our word for it.Verify SimpleSwap