Scammer : Hi! Ava, Welcome to FishyICO. I am the admin. How can I help you with the registration?

Ava: ya, I have not received any registration email.

Scammer: Don't worry. Let me help you out. We are facing congestion on the network.

Ava: Thank you for your help.

Scammer: Let me offer you an additional bonus of 10 percent for the inconvenience. Please send your funds to the following address: abcdefghijklmopscrewyouhijklmopqurestwyxz .

Ava: ...............................

It is not a comic strip that you just read, but these scams are happening every day in the crypto world. It does not mean you have to steer clear but you need to be extra cautious and canny. In the next two minutes, this article will help you become just that!

Every day members of the crypto community work hard to ensure we keep pace with the fast evolving and highly dynamic market of the 21st century. Using our hard-earned money, we invest in various projects with the aim of making a profit and securing financial security for the future.

Firstly, throughout the globe, most crypto-startups rely on the Telegram platform to conduct ICOs. Telegram’s reliability, efficiency, and diversity make it a natural home for most communications between crypto companies and investors within the global crypto ecosystem. Nonetheless, scammers have flocked to the platform in numbers bearing hype and fraudulent information that is near-indistinguishable from the real thing. It may be difficult to discern these individuals from actual company representatives if you are not keen or savvy enough.

In this column, your friendly neighborhood Crypto Ninja is going to expose these crypto scammers and show you how to identify them quickly.

In the Telegram ICO groups, members/investors engage with one another and admins are present to assist.

This is where the scam begins.

For example, Andreja is a legitimate group admin for the XYZ Telegram chat. It’s her smiling emoji face that greets you each time someone new joins the group.

But imagine there’s another Andreja lurking in the chat as well. She’s not there to help new community members learn about XYZ ICO. In fact, her sole purpose is to “help” unsuspecting investors divert ETH into her wallet.

Which Andreja is the real admin and which is the scammer? Take a look at their profiles below.

See the difference?

Well, looks to the contrary, these are two different individuals, one of whom is impersonating the other. At first glance, their names may be the same, but with a little scrutiny, you will realise that one is a fake admin while the other is real.

How do you know? Look closely at the usernames: one is @ Andrejaadmin while the other is @ Andrejadmin , with an absence of a letter ‘a’. Luckily for us, most ICOs keeps a pinned post where all the real admins are listed. That’s how we know that the first account is the real Andreja and the other belongs to a scammer.

How can you protect yourself?

1. Keep an eye on the admin tag and the real name of the admin. Telegram automatically appends “admin” to the names of posters when they’ve been designated as such in the chat.

2. Most ICOs follow the ' Admin will never dm you first' rule.

I now believe you are well-versed on the ins and outs of scammers on Telegram. But don’t forget the most critical check of all - using the official ICO website to validate ETH deposit addresses before you hit send.

The new crypto ecosystem is an exciting one. Don’t allow scammers discourage you from being part of it. Nevertheless, be aware and doubt everyone. Better to be safe than OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next time............

So, here I am your friendly neighborhood CryptoNinja who will keep bringing exciting facts and news from Crypto world to you.

Keep watching for more blogs. Haiyyaaahh!!

Spread the word!!!!!