To avoid NFT scams, verify mints and support messages through a project or marketplace’s established official channels, inspect every URL and wallet prompt, and never share your recovery phrase or private key. Treat surprise rewards and urgent warnings as untrusted until independently verified. If you already connected a wallet or approved a transaction, stop interacting with the sender, secure exposed accounts, preserve evidence, and report the incident.
How NFT scams work
NFT scams often imitate a project, marketplace, buyer, or support team to persuade you to click a link, connect a wallet, reveal credentials, or approve an action. The danger is usually not simply seeing a message or receiving an unsolicited NFT; it is what you do next. A connected wallet may be asked to sign or authorize something harmful, while a fake site may try to capture login details or a recovery phrase.
The FBI warns that criminals impersonate NFT developers and exploit urgency around surprise opportunities. In its August 2023 alert, it said: “Many criminal actors prey on the sense of urgency victims feel whenever a surprise opportunity is announced.” The alert describes cloned or compromised project accounts directing users to spoofed mint pages, where a wallet connection can lead to malicious contract activity. FBI/IC3: NFT developer impersonation alert.
Common NFT scam warning signs
Fake mint announcements and cloned accounts
A post may announce a limited release or surprise mint and link to a page that closely resembles the project’s real site. Check the announcement on established project channels rather than trusting the post that brought you to it. Examine account names, spelling, account history, and the domain character by character. An official-looking logo or a familiar social platform does not prove the account or link is genuine.
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Unsolicited NFT or reward links
An unexpected NFT or reward may contain a note directing you to an external site to claim a prize. The FBI’s June 2025 Hedera alert describes malicious memos in unsolicited rewards that direct recipients to sites seeking wallet connections or sensitive information. Do not follow a claim link or provide credentials because an item appeared in your wallet; independently check with the provider. FBI/IC3: Hedera-related alert.
Fake support and account warnings
A message may say your wallet is blocked, a transaction failed, or your account needs validation, then pressure you to click a link, connect a wallet, install software, or disclose information. Do not use the link or phone number in the message. The FTC advises slowing down and contacting the organization through a website or number you already know is genuine. FTC Consumer Advice.
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Buyer, seller, or fee requests
Be cautious if someone claims you must pay an unexpected “digitizing” fee, deposit ETH, or validate your account to complete a sale. OpenSea identifies such requests as phishing warning signs. Check marketplace instructions by navigating to the marketplace independently; do not pay or follow a third-party purchase link merely because a buyer or seller insists.
Check before you connect a wallet or sign
- Navigate independently. Use a saved, known-good URL or reach the project or marketplace through a channel you have verified. Do not trust a link merely because it appeared in an official-looking post, email, QR code, or advertisement.
- Verify the announcement. Look for the same release or account notice on established project channels. Watch for altered handles, spelling differences, suspiciously new or changed accounts, and pressure to act immediately.
- Read the wallet prompt. A connection or signature request is an action to inspect, not a routine click. If you cannot understand why the site needs the requested permission or transaction, decline and verify through an official channel. The FBI warns that fake mint pages can use wallet connections to facilitate theft. FBI/IC3 alert.
- Keep secrets private. Never enter a recovery phrase or private key into a website, form, message, or support chat. OpenSea says it will not ask for your secret recovery phrase, password, or private key. Store recovery phrases offline in a secure place rather than as a photo or text file on a connected device. OpenSea: How can I stay safe and protect my NFTs? OpenSea: What is a crypto wallet?
- Review permissions periodically. Check smart-contract approvals in your wallet or through the relevant official tools, and revoke approvals you no longer need where supported. Be careful to verify the site and understand the transaction before changing permissions. OpenSea safety guidance.
Choose wallet storage to limit exposure
A frequently used wallet is convenient, but it is also the wallet you expose to routine transactions and websites. One risk-reduction approach is to keep only the funds needed for everyday activity in a hot wallet and separate higher-value holdings in cold storage. OpenSea describes both approaches, but no single setup is best for every holder. OpenSea: What is a crypto wallet?
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Consider how often you transact and how much you keep in each wallet. Separate storage is a way to limit potential exposure, not a promise that an asset cannot be stolen.
What to do if you suspect a scam or wallet compromise
- Stop interacting. End the conversation. Do not click follow-up links, install software, or respond to recovery offers from the sender.
- Contact providers independently. Reach your wallet provider, marketplace, or exchange using a channel found independently. Change exposed passwords and secure related accounts; watch for suspicious sign-ins and transactions. If a recovery phrase or private key was exposed, treat the wallet as compromised and use the provider’s official guidance to protect remaining assets.
- Preserve evidence. Record the sender’s name and account, domains and links, messages, screenshots, wallet addresses, transaction hashes, asset and cryptocurrency amounts, and the date and time of events. Keep this information together for providers and any report.
- Report the incident. In the United States, submit a complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Its victim guidance asks for transaction details and other information that may help identify actors and trace transfers. Outside the United States, use the appropriate local reporting channel. FBI/IC3 victim guidance.
- Reject paid recovery promises. Be skeptical of people or services that promise to retrieve stolen crypto, especially if they demand advance payment or wallet credentials. The FBI warns that recovery pitches may be another scam. FBI/IC3 alert.
What is known about NFT scam losses?
There is no general NFT-scam prevalence rate or NFT-wide loss total established by the official sources cited here. Do not treat unrelated cryptocurrency fraud figures as NFT statistics. For example, an FBI/IC3 alert reported more than $70 million in combined victim losses since January 2019 for a liquidity-mining scam described in that alert; that figure is not a measure of NFT scam losses. FBI/IC3 liquidity-mining scam alert.
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