How to Spot a Fake Crypto Exchange: 12 Warning Signs
A fake crypto exchange is a website or app designed to imitate trading while the operator controls the displayed balances and withdrawals. The dashboard may show profitable trades, customer service may answer quickly, and early withdrawals may work. None of those details proves that real trading occurred. The decisive warning often arrives when the platform demands another payment before releasing the balance. Fraud can also involve a clone of a real exchange. The name, logo and licence number may be copied while the domain, app publisher and deposit wallets belong to criminals. Review all 12 signs before transferring money or identity documents.The relationship began with an unsolicited investment invitation Many fake platforms are introduced through dating apps, social media, messaging groups or a wrong-number conversation. The contact spends days or weeks building trust, then offers to teach crypto trading or shares a supposedly exclusive platform. The FBI describes this pattern as cryptocurrency investment fraud and warns that professional-looking websites can display fabricated returns. A referral from a friendly or romantic contact is not independent evidence. Search the platform separately, and do not use the link or app file that person sends.The domain is new, misspelled or unrelated to the brand Clone sites use extra