Investment and crypto fraud · Also called crypto giveaway scam, free token scam, fake NFT airdrop
Fake airdrop or giveaway
A fake airdrop is a crypto scam that promises free tokens, NFTs, or rewards, then sends you to a site that steals your wallet access. Some ask you to connect and approve a transaction, some ask for your seed phrase, and giveaway scams ask you to send crypto first to receive more back.
How it works
- The victim sees a post, message, or unexpected token in their wallet announcing free tokens or rewards.
- A link leads to a site that looks like the real project and asks the victim to connect their wallet to claim.
- Claiming requires approving a transaction, signing a message, entering a seed phrase, or sending a small amount of crypto first.
- The scammer uses that access to drain the wallet, or keeps whatever the victim sent.
Red flags
- Tokens or NFTs appear in your wallet that you did not ask for, with a link to claim more.
- A celebrity, exchange, or project promises to send back more crypto than you send them.
- Claiming requires your seed phrase or a wallet approval you do not understand.
- The offer comes through a reply, a direct message, or an account that is not the project's verified channel.
If you are targeted
- Stop contact, close the site, and do not send more money or crypto to claim a reward.
- If you connected or approved anything, move your assets to a new wallet and revoke the approvals.
- Keep screenshots of the offer and the addresses involved.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
- Expect recovery scams: anyone who contacts you offering to get your money back for a fee, including people claiming to be lawyers, regulators, or the FBI, is running a second scam.
Prevention
For individuals
- Treat every free crypto giveaway as a scam, especially one that asks you to send crypto first.
- Do not interact with tokens or NFTs that appear in your wallet unexpectedly.
- Check airdrop announcements only on the project's official website, reached from your own bookmark.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Losses involving cryptocurrency reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 (overlaps other categories, never summed) | $11.37B | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
| Phishing and spoofing losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $215.8M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
Real cases
2020-07 · US · Sentenced · $118,000 stolen
Twitter account takeover via fake IT help desk calls, 2020
Delivered through: Social media ads and posts, Email phishing
How official datasets classify it
Questions
- Are crypto airdrops a scam?
- Real airdrops exist, but unexpected ones that ask you to connect your wallet, approve a transaction, or share a seed phrase are a common way to steal crypto.
- What if a celebrity promises to double my crypto?
- It is a scam. The FTC warns that free money and crypto giveaway offers are fraudulent, and anything you send will be kept.