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We have already covered security-related topics in previous blog posts here and  here as well as in our Bitpanda Academy article on keeping your cryptocurrencies safe. Today, we want to keep you in the loop on lurking threats once again, to ensure you keep your experience on the Bitpanda platform as safe as possible.

The number of cryptocurrency users is growing on an international scale, as is being aware of scams (hopefully). Still, external threats and scams are a prevailing issue, and we advise everyone to stay vigilant, especially when dealing with money on the internet.

The many faces of cryptocurrency scams

It goes without saying that we are more than happy that our community is growing. But where there is light there is shadow, and Bitpanda impersonators still rear their heads at frequent intervals.

What do Bitpanda impersonators do? They pretend to operate official Bitpanda accounts on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms to lure Bitpanda users with the goal of scamming them or their account. Often, such scam accounts and sites have an uncanny resemblance to official Bitpanda social media accounts or even the official Bitpanda website.

Our team at Bitpanda is always out to put a stop to such fraudulent ventures but regarding visual similarities, there is not much we can do. So what do you need to know and what can you do in order not fall prey to scammers pretending to be Bitpanda?

To refresh which red flags to watch out for when you use digital assets, today we present five highly relevant pointers — in no particular order — for all Bitpanda users, and actually, for every crypto enthusiast.

1. DO NOT GO FOR THE “SEND ONE BTC, RECEIVE 5 BTC BACK” SCAM

What happens?

Scammers post offers of great wins or other benefits in the comments section of legitimate Bitpanda posts on social media. They do this to get users to send them assets to scam wallet addresses, and in return promise users rewards.

While Bitpanda social media management closely monitors comments, such scams may pop up and be online for a short while until they are removed.

What this scam may look like:

What you need to know and do:

Bitpanda will never ever ask you to send funds to any address and offer you more funds in return or stage a giveaway like this. Never send your funds to any address you don’t know. Also, Bitpanda will never distribute any funds or tokens to you anywhere besides the Bitpanda Platform in any scope — not even during giveaways.

2. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING BITPANDA’S OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

What happens?

You have heard of Bitpanda and want to check out the latest news on social media. You find a giveaway and want to participate right away. Beware: not every account that looks like an official Bitpanda account is an actual Bitpanda account. Do not believe everything you see on the internet and make sure that you are actually using Bitpanda’s official social media channels by taking a look at the page to check whether the page is an official Bitpanda channel.

What this scam may look like:

NOTE: This is an image of a FAKE Bitpanda Facebook page

What you need to know and do:

We cannot emphasise enough that you should always ensure that you are following the official Bitpanda accounts on social media.

For instance, on Twitter, you can look for the verification tick sign and check the handle, or @name which is @bitpanda to ensure that you are using the official Bitpanda account. If it is not @bitpanda, it is not Bitpanda. If you are in any doubt, there is probably a reason for it.

These are the links to Bitpanda’s official social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Medium, Instagram and Reddit and here is the link to our official Telegram group.

3. DO NOT FALL PREY TO TELEGRAM SCAMS

What happens?

Someone who claims they work for Bitpanda or are an official representative of Bitpanda or a spokesperson for Bitpanda sends you a private message and asks you to send the login data to your Bitpanda account for some reason.

What this scam may look like:

What you need to know and do:

Joining Bitpanda’s official Telegram groups is one of the best ways to get to know us and what we’re all about but please do take care when using the platform.

Please note that Bitpanda as a company, a “spokesperson” from Bitpanda or representatives from Bitpanda will never contact in a private chat. So if you do receive a private message from someone from Bitpanda, it’s not from Bitpanda — it’s a scammer!

Bitpanda will never ask for your personal information anywhere. Like any organisation that is legitimate, Bitpanda will never ask for your login credentials or other sensitive personal data but scammers will — and they will sometimes go to great lengths to get this information from you.

If you are among the Bitpanda Telegram users, here is a list of the verified Bitpanda staff who are active in Bitpanda Telegram groups:

• Clemens | Bitpanda @clemens_bitpanda
• Michael | Bitpanda @michael_bitpanda
• Valentin | Bitpanda @valentin_bitpanda
• Christian | Bitpanda @christian_bitpanda
• Lisa | Bitpanda @lisa_bitpanda
• Dennis | Bitpanda @dennis_bitpanda
• Milan | Bitpanda @milan_bitpanda
• Eva | Bitpanda @eva_bitpanda
• Stefan | Bitpanda @stefan_bitpanda
• Marc | Bitpanda @marc_bitpanda

What you need to know and do:

You can recognise official Bitpanda team members by the grey “admin” title on the right side of their name. If you think someone may be impersonating a Bitpanda admin, please click on the member’s name and look for the @ handle:

4. MAKE SURE YOU DON’T OPEN PHISHING EMAILS

What happens?

Phishing emails are emails from scammers that pretend to be from actual, reputable and legitimate companies. You receive an email from a company that looks exactly like a company you know — but it is not! The sender of the email asks you to send them your personal information such as credit card numbers, passwords, secret keys…the list goes on. Such a scam may even involve cloning a website to look identical to the official website of a company.

What you need to know and do:

Bitpanda will never ask for your credit card numbers, passwords, secret keys or similar. Also, when you visit the Bitpanda website, make sure you quickly check the URL. You can click on the padlock on the left to see the valid certificate. You should see this:

Remain vigilant and don’t download questionable attachments or links in emails. You could be downloading malware — malicious mining software that uses your computer’s processing power. Also, once hackers gain access to your computer, they can track what you are typing by using keylogging software and access your passwords and codes.

5. REMAIN VIGILANT AND ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK

Finally, keep doing your research to stay up-to-date on the latest scams. Unfortunately, scammers are constantly finding new ways to lure users into disclosing sensitive data or sending their funds in the hope of getting more funds in return, so keep your funds safe at all times on all your devices and proceed with caution.

Make sure you stay safe on the Internet!