Common NFT Scams and How to Avoid Them
Frequently seen NFT scam patterns and practical ways to reduce your risk.
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What to remember
- Verify you're interacting with a collection's genuine, officially verified listing.
- Review exactly what a transaction requests before signing it, especially under time pressure.
- Wash trading can fabricate the appearance of demand or price history.
- Urgency-driven messaging is a common and deliberate manipulation tactic.
Fake or copycat collections
Scammers commonly create counterfeit versions of popular NFT collections, hoping buyers won't notice they're not interacting with the genuine, officially verified project — verifying you're on the real collection's official listing before buying is a practical, meaningful check.
Malicious minting sites and links
- Fake "mint" websites, often promoted through compromised social accounts or urgency-driven messaging, can trick users into signing a malicious transaction rather than genuinely minting an NFT.
- Reviewing exactly what a transaction is requesting before signing — rather than approving quickly under time pressure — is one of the most effective general defenses.
Wash trading and manipulated activity
Wash trading (the same party effectively trading with themselves) can be used to fabricate the appearance of demand or price history for a collection, misleading buyers about its genuine popularity or value.
Urgency is a common manipulation tactic
Messaging designed to create time pressure ("only a few left," "mint closing soon") is a common tactic across many NFT scams specifically because it discourages the careful verification that would otherwise reveal the scam.
What to remember
- Verify you're interacting with a collection's genuine, officially verified listing.
- Review exactly what a transaction requests before signing it, especially under time pressure.
- Wash trading can fabricate the appearance of demand or price history.
- Urgency-driven messaging is a common and deliberate manipulation tactic.