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Scam Check

Answer ten quick questions about the message, offer or platform in front of you. You’ll get a plain-English risk read and what to do next — nothing you enter leaves this page.

Answer what you can. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

  1. Did someone you haven’t met in person contact you first (text, dating app, social media, “wrong number”)?
  2. Are you promised guaranteed, fixed or unusually high returns?
  3. Are you being rushed — a deadline, a “limited spot”, or pressure to act today?
  4. Have you been asked for your seed phrase, private key, or remote access to your device?
  5. Must you pay a fee, tax or “unlock” deposit before you can withdraw?
  6. Were you told to use a specific website or app that you can’t find in the official app stores or reviewed by reputable sources?
  7. Is someone claiming to be from a government agency, bank, exchange support or tech support asking you to move crypto?
  8. Are you being asked to pay with a crypto ATM, gift cards or a wire to “protect” your money?
  9. Does a celebrity, influencer or giveaway promise to send back more crypto than you send?
  10. Is someone offering to recover crypto you already lost — for an upfront fee?

Your risk read

Answer to begin

Your result appears here as you answer.

    This is a pattern check, not a guarantee. If money is already gone, read what to do next and report it at ic3.gov.

    How Scam Check works

    Each question maps to a pattern that shows up again and again in FBI, FTC and state regulator warnings: unsolicited contact, guaranteed returns, pressure, requests for keys, fees to withdraw, unofficial apps, impersonation, unusual payment methods, “send one, get two back” giveaways and paid “recovery” services.

    Some answers are serious on their own. Nobody legitimate will ever ask for your seed phrase, and no real investment makes you pay a fee to withdraw your own money. A single “yes” to those means stop.

    If the result is high risk

    1. Stop sending money and stop replying.
    2. Do not install anything or share your screen.
    3. Save screenshots, addresses and transaction IDs.
    4. Report it to IC3 and the FTC, and tell your exchange.
    5. Read our security and scams guide.

    FAQ

    Is Scam Check a guarantee that something is safe?

    No. It checks for well-known scam patterns. A low score means none of those patterns showed up — not that an offer is legitimate.

    Does this tool save my answers?

    No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.

    Someone offered to recover my lost crypto. Is that real?

    Upfront-fee recovery offers that arrive after a loss are a well-documented scam. See our recovery scams guide before paying anyone.

    Educational tool. Results are estimates and are not financial, tax or investment advice.