The only way to avoid scams is to carefully do your research, and there are no shortcuts. But there are equally very good and solid ICOs as well that can be very profitable. Look into new altcoin and token projects, and study them carefully, because the upside potential in good ones is much greater than in the established ones. Upside multiples can be a totally different game. You just need to do your research carefully and don't trust ICO listing sites etc. because ratings can be bought. Careful research is very important to avoid scams and other low quality projects - don't trust anyone but your own research!
I have been recently following Stellar that is generally on the rise and the tokens issued on the Stellar platform - now there is a bump like in any cryptocurrency over the past few days, but generally Stellar is on the rise because of the prospective Coinbase listing and other advances. This will also boost tokens issued on the Stellar platform...
My most recent find among alts is AXU, "Argentas Exchange Unit" token issued on the Stellar platform and listed and verified on the Stellarport decentralized exchange, now only at its pre-distribution, or pre-ICO phase. A true hidden diamond, with low profile so far. Experienced people clearly, and cool tech for decentralizing and revolutionizing global banking - their website at
argentas.io.
The pre-ICO price is 50% cheaper than the ICO price, a sure winner IMO, and I will certainly get some. They also have an ANN thread, I think here
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/xxx-4431900. I dug really deep in their content, and it is really cool stuff
But don’t forget your own research!