Know ScamSafety Academy
Fake SimpleSwap sites
A copy that behaves correctly right up to the deposit address.
Gives it away: Verify the domain character by character.
See the Safety Academy →
A SimpleSwap education project
Know the Scam
Know the Scam is SimpleSwap's education project on crypto fraud — an open series documenting the attacks that actually take funds, with the working mechanics rather than general caution.
Three of them account for a disproportionate share of losses, so they lead here. The remaining nine follow in brief, each linking to its full write-up.
Verifying the site before anything else
simpleswap.io only
Any other domain carrying the name is a copy, however exact the interface.
The address bar decides
Logos, colours and layout clone in minutes. The domain does not.
A padlock is not identity
HTTPS encrypts the connection. Phishing sites hold valid certificates too.
No wallet connection
Standard swaps never require one, and never a seed phrase.
Support starts where you did
An account that contacts you first did not come from SimpleSwap.
Transfers do not reverse
Once confirmed there is no chargeback, so the check belongs before you send.
The three that cost people most
Each links to its full write-up in Know Scam on the SimpleSwap blog.
Know ScamAug 31, 2026
Phishing in 2026
The tells people were trained on no longer apply; copies are close to perfect.
Gives it away: Reach the site yourself, never through a link.
Read the breakdown →
Know ScamAug 12, 2026
Wallet drainers
An approval signature that hands over token permissions, drained later.
Gives it away: Check the permission, not just the prompt.
Read the breakdown →Nine more patterns worth knowing
- Pig butchering. Patient relationship-building that terminates at a fake investment platform. Read →
- Deepfake giveaway scams. AI video of a known figure, promising double returns on whatever you send. Read →
- Sandwich attacks. Bots read the mempool and extract value around your trade. Read →
- Address poisoning. A decoy address planted in your history for a future copy-paste. Read →
- Clipboard malware. Your copied address is replaced en route to the paste. Read →
- Honeypot tokens. Purchase succeeds, sale fails — by contract design or removed liquidity. Read →
- Fake SimpleSwap bonus scripts. Promised rewards delivered through a script that takes credentials. Read →
- Fake support accounts. Impersonators reach people already asking for help in public. Read →
- Drainer dApps and fake airdrops. Unexpected tokens routed to a claim page that empties the wallet. Read →
The shortlist
Six signals worth memorising before any of the specifics.
- Manufactured urgency — A deadline you did not set.
- Guaranteed returns — Nothing on-chain provides one.
- A request for your seed phrase — No service needs it, ever.
- Contact you did not start — The approach arrived first.
- Pressure to move platforms — Into a channel that keeps no record.
- A fee to release your funds — Your own money has no paywall.
Every pattern, documented in full
This page summarises the SimpleSwap Safety Academy, which keeps each case current as new variants appear.