The newest and fastest-growing threat in crypto scams is the use of artificial intelligence. In 2025, AI-enabled scams were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional scams. Scammers now use deepfake videos, AI voice clones, and automated phishing at a scale never seen before.
AI and Deepfake Scams
Fake Celebrity Endorsements
Scammers create realistic deepfake videos of well-known figures — Elon Musk, local politicians, finance influencers — promoting fake crypto giveaways or investment platforms. These videos circulate on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. In 2025, multiple deepfake videos of Elon Musk promoting fraudulent crypto giveaways caused victims to lose thousands each.
AI Voice Cloning
Using just a few seconds of audio from a podcast, interview, or social media video, scammers can clone someone's voice. They then call victims pretending to be a trusted person — a boss, family member, or exchange representative — requesting urgent crypto transfers.
AI-Powered Chat Scams
Scammers use AI chatbots to manage hundreds of conversations simultaneously across dating apps and messaging platforms. These bots are convincing enough to maintain weeks-long "relationships" before steering victims toward fake investment platforms.
Phishing and SMS Scams
Fake Emails
You receive an email that looks like it's from Coinstash (or another exchange) asking you to "verify your account", "confirm a withdrawal", or "update your security settings." The link leads to a fake login page that captures your credentials.
SMS Phishing (Smishing)
Text messages claiming to be from a toll service, bank, or government agency ask you to click a link and pay a small amount in crypto. In 2025, the "Smishing Triad" — a cybercriminal network — sent 330,000 fake toll collection texts in a single day, eventually stealing over $1 billion from victims across 121 countries.
Physical Phishing Letters
A new trend in 2026: scammers are sending official-looking physical mail impersonating hardware wallet companies like Ledger. The letters include QR codes that lead to malicious websites designed to steal your wallet recovery phrase.
Red Flags
Celebrity crypto "giveaways" — real celebrities do not give away crypto. Ever.
Emails or SMS with slightly misspelled sender names or domains
Urgent messages asking you to click a link immediately
Unexpected calls from someone who knows your name asking about your crypto
QR codes in unsolicited physical mail
Video calls where the person's mouth doesn't quite sync with their words
How to Protect Yourself
Bookmark Coinstash's real URL (coinstash.com.au) and always access it directly — never through email or SMS links
Enable 2FA on your Coinstash account and email
Be sceptical of ANY unsolicited contact about crypto — phone, email, SMS, or social media
Verify videos independently — search for the person's official channels before trusting a video
Never scan QR codes from unsolicited mail or messages
Use a password manager to avoid entering credentials on fake sites (it won't autofill on a phishing domain)
If in doubt, contact Coinstash Support directly through the in-app chat
The bottom line: If someone contacts you about crypto and creates urgency, assume it's a scam until proven otherwise. Take a breath, close the message, and verify through official channels.