The Computer Science saw a different phase when cryptography mechanism was introduced with Bitcoin. With this big of a change, threats of fraud increased, to safeguard from these malicious activity is extremely important. Startups without blockchain should not be trusted at all. Before committing to any company, their credentials should be reviewed.
There are many fake ICOs that can scam people easily. The best way is to do research before being affiliated to that exchange. Another way is to send an email and ask about the exchange to be cautious. Phishing is another way to scam people, by asking their details and asking them to invest their Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. Fake Airdrops and Punycode are most common tricks.
There are many unregulated brokers that can lure clients in lower prices and trading products and fast returns. So, one needs to be vigilant. The automated trading systems are not scams but they will take any opportunity to earn profits. Exchanges will charge an unfair amount to withdraw, the best way to avoid is to already be aware of exchanges price differences.
Fake emails look so authentic but at the end they are still fake. Check every bit of information before acting upon it. Many companies copy and paste some other company’s whitepaper, rather than having an original idea of their own.
Most exchanges use fake information for their team members. To be careful one must look for incomplete or inconsistent information and odd details.Inconsistent texts or details on any part of the website is also a red flag. One should read and proofread to be sure.
People should run scans to look for any Bitcoin miner or bot in the system. Companies will do anything for money, to ensure safety and security right websites should be used. There is a lot of responsibility one needs to practice in order to be careful.
I think this is one of the points of improvements for bitcoins and cryptocurrency. The security and the purpose of the bitcoins to avoid using these for illegal activities that could do harm to others. Aside from the possibility of being frauded, I’ve read somewhere that many pedophiles from across the globe use these to buy pornographic movies. These movies star a minor, a little girl, sometimes a little boy and would feature inhumane activities. Sometimes, they trade human inner organs and pay using these as well. I think as users of this, as we promote that this could be the future, I think we should keep in mind that this we have responsibilities when handling these.