Interactive tool

Is This a Scam? The Spotter Quiz

On-chain there is no chargeback. Run 10 real-world scenarios and train the one habit that beats every scam: slow down before you sign, send, or share.

Spot the red flag

10 scenarios drawn from real, documented cases. No score is a guarantee of safety — the goal is the instinct.

SentinelEducation only. This quiz teaches how to spot common scams. It is not financial, legal, or security advice, and a high score is not a guarantee of safety. It never asks for your seed phrase, private key, password, or wallet — and you should never type those into any website, including this one. When in doubt, slow down (the 24-hour rule) and verify independently.

The full answer key

The interactive scored quiz needs JavaScript. With it off, here is every scenario, the right call, the red flag, and the Marshal's reframe — tap any to open.

Pig butcheringA “wrong number” text turns into weeks of friendly chat, then a can’t-lose trade tip on a slick platform. What is it?

The right call: It’s a scam — walk away.
Red flag: A stranger who finds you online and then steers you to a trading site is running a script. Easy deposit, fee-walled withdrawal.
The Marshal’s reframe: If the relationship and the investment advice arrived in the same person, the relationship is the bait and the investment is the hook.
Source: FBI IC3 2024 · Chainalysis 2024 (pig butchering).

Fake supportA DM from “Coinbase Support” warns of suspicious activity and asks you to read back your 2FA code. Do you?

The right call: Never. Hang up / ignore and log in yourself by typing the URL.
Red flag: Anyone asking for your seed, password, or 2FA code — or to install software or move funds “to a safe wallet.”
The Marshal’s reframe: Real support never needs your keys, your codes, or for you to move your money. The moment a “support agent” asks for any of those, they ARE the attack.
Source: Coinbase Help · Ledger Academy.

Wallet drainerA free-claim site says “verify your wallet” and pops a request to sign a Permit. Safe to sign?

The right call: Reject it. Signing a Permit is spend permission, not a login.
Red flag: A “login/verify/claim” step that asks you to sign; signature text mentions Permit / Approve / setOwner.
The Marshal’s reframe: Connecting a wallet is showing your ID. Signing is handing over the keys. A site that needs you to SIGN to “log in” is asking for a blank check.
Source: Scam Sniffer 2024 (~$494M drained) · Blockaid.

Recovery scamDays after you were scammed, someone DMs offering to recover your funds — for an upfront fee. Legit?

The right call: No. Any upfront fee is the second scam.
Red flag: Upfront fees, claims of government/FBI affiliation, guarantees of recovery, an unsolicited DM right after you lost money.
The Marshal’s reframe: The only person who profits from your loss twice is the second scammer. No real cop charges a fee to chase a thief.
Source: FBI IC3 PSA 240624 · IC3 2024 (~$1.4B recovery scams).

Address poisoningYou’re about to send funds and copy the recipient from your wallet history. The first 4 and last 4 characters match. Send it?

The right call: Stop. Verify the FULL address; never copy from history.
Red flag: A recent $0 / tiny incoming tx from a lookalike address planted in your history to be copied later.
The Marshal’s reframe: Matching the first four and last four is how the trap is sprung, not how you avoid it. The middle of the address is where the lie hides.
Source: USENIX Security 2025 (~270M attempts, $83.8M+) · Ledger / Chainalysis.

Bitcoin ATMA “bank fraud department” caller says to withdraw cash, feed it into a Bitcoin ATM, and scan a QR they texted. Comply?

The right call: Never. Hang up. That instruction alone is the entire scam.
Red flag: Anyone directing you to a Bitcoin ATM to “fix / protect / verify” money; a QR from the caller; urgency + secrecy.
The Marshal’s reframe: No real bank, agency, or company will ever ask you to fix a problem by feeding cash into a Bitcoin machine.
Source: FTC Data Spotlight, Sept 2024 ($110M+ 2023; 60+ = 71% of H1-2024 losses).

Fake airdropA claim site offers free tokens but first asks you to pay a small “gas / unlock fee” to a contract. Worth it?

The right call: No. A real gift never costs you a payment to a stranger’s contract.
Red flag: Upfront gas to “unlock” a free reward, a connect-and-sign step, lookalike URL, or mystery tokens you didn’t buy.
The Marshal’s reframe: You can’t be airdropped a bill. A gift that asks you to connect and sign is a withdrawal request wearing a bow.
Source: Cointelegraph · Phantom (common scams).

Seed safetyYour new hardware wallet’s setup screen shows a 24-word phrase. A pop-up asks you to type it into a website to “back it up to the cloud.” Do it?

The right call: Never. Write it on paper/metal offline. No screen, no cloud, no photo.
Red flag: Any prompt to type, photograph, screenshot, email, or cloud-store a seed phrase. The words ARE the money.
The Marshal’s reframe: A backup that can be photographed, emailed, or uploaded isn’t a backup — it’s a leak waiting to happen. The seed never touches an internet-connected screen.
Source: BIP-39 (bitcoin/bips) · Ledger / Trezor backup docs.

Guaranteed returnsA platform advertises a “guaranteed 1% per day” staking return, with screenshots of others’ profits. In?

The right call: No. “Guaranteed” returns are the oldest tell of a Ponzi.
Red flag: Fixed daily/weekly returns, profit screenshots as “proof,” pressure to recruit. 1%/day compounds to ~3,700%/yr — impossible.
The Marshal’s reframe: “Guaranteed” and “returns” can’t share a sentence. A screenshot is a text file; trust the withdrawal test, not the testimonial.
Source: SEC v. BitConnect ($2.4B Ponzi) · Chainalysis.

Rug pullA hot new token: anonymous team, no liquidity lock, and a few wallets hold most of the supply. The chart is rocketing. Ape in?

The right call: No. Those are the classic rug-pull / honeypot signals.
Red flag: Concentrated supply (~50%+ in few wallets), no / short liquidity lock, anonymous unaudited team, owner privileges not renounced, sell-tax >10%.
The Marshal’s reframe: If the people who built the token can still pull the money out, the only question is when. Locked liquidity and spread-out supply are the difference between an investment and a trap you fund yourself.
Source: Chainalysis (rug pulls) · Squid Game token case (CBS News).

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The goal is the instinct — not the score.

Education only, not financial, legal, or security advice. A high score is never a guarantee of safety.

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