Crypto glossary
Impersonation scam (fake support)
An impersonation scam is a fraud in which criminals pose as exchange support, wallet staff, project admins or officials to get funds, keys or account access.
The contact can come from either side. Scammers reply to users who complain publicly about a stuck transaction, offering help from a support account with a near-identical handle, or they reach out first by phone, SMS or email claiming suspicious activity on the victim's exchange account. In Discord and Telegram groups, fake moderators send direct messages with links to verify or sync a wallet.
The goal is always one of a few things: the seed phrase, a signature on a malicious approval, remote access to the computer, or a transfer to a so-called safe wallet. Callers often already know the victim's name, email and holdings from data leaks, which makes the story believable. Some schemes impersonate police, tax agencies or lawyers instead of support staff.
Real support teams never ask for a seed phrase or private key, never move funds to a new wallet for you and do not start conversations through direct messages. Hanging up and contacting the company through its official app or website is the safest check.
Example
A user receives a call from someone citing his exchange account details, warning of a hack and asking him to move his coins to a protected wallet whose seed phrase arrives by email; the address belongs to the caller.