Barrister Solomon Inks:

Let’s tackle five of the most prevalent scams you need to be aware of in 2025.

1. Fake Airdrops:

Airdrops, the promise of free cryptocurrency, are extremely tempting. You might be asked to perform simple actions on a blockchain – actions that often involve transaction fees. The lure is the potential for a life-changing payout without any initial investment. This attractiveness is precisely what scammers exploit.

Where do these scams thrive? Predominantly on X (formerly Twitter). It’s the crypto town square, and unfortunately, it’s also a haven for unscrupulous individuals. They flood the platform with paid ads and comments, promoting fake airdrops. While X is improving its spam filtering, you’ll still likely encounter these scams daily in your mentions.

Never click on links you’re unsure about. Always double-check the URL by typing it directly into your browser.

What happens if you fall for it?

Likely, your wallet will be drained.

The fake airdrop link leads to a malicious smart contract. When you connect your wallet and sign the transaction (thinking it’s the airdrop claim), you unknowingly grant the contract permission to transfer your entire crypto balance to the scammer. It’s a slick way to steal your funds.

This emphasizes the importance of wallet hygiene. Tools like Etherscan’s token approvals let you review and revoke permissions granted to different decentralized applications (dApps).

As a rule, revoke permissions for dApps you’re not actively using. And remember, the best wallet hygiene involves using a hardware wallet whenever you’re not actively trading.