Blackmail emails claiming, for example, that someone has collected data on you are unfortunately not uncommon. This popular Bitcoin scan often involves threats to disclose sensitive information.

Also common are emails claiming that your computer has been hacked and is being remotely controlled by the attacker. Such Bitcoin extortions have become increasingly common in the recent past.

The attackers demand that you transfer Bitcoin to their wallet and threaten you with consequences if you do not. You should definitely ignore such emails. They are Bitcoin spam mails, and there is usually nothing behind them.

To buy cryptocurrencies, there is hardly any way around the stock exchange. However, there are exchanges that do not really exist.

These fake Bitcoin exchanges lure you with particularly low prices and promise that you can get your Bitcoin quickly and easily.

When buying Bitcoin, you should stick to exchanges that keep their promises and distrust offers that are too good to be true. Otherwise, you might fall for a Bitcoin fraud or Bitcoin scan.

Also not uncommon in the Bitcoin Scam are supposed giveaways in which scammers claim that cryptocurrency will be given away as part of a marketing campaign.

In this Bitcoin fraud, the scammers ask you to transfer a small amount of Bitcoin to confirm your identity.

They often use fake accounts that look very similar to those of the companies. You should report such offers to the platform where you encounter them to protect other users from harm.

Imitating other people is easy on the internet. Often all that is needed is a name and a profile photo, which is simply taken over. Real identity theft goes one step further.

As soon as the attackers have enough personal data, they place orders in the name of the person concerned or even conclude contracts.

The resulting damage can be enormous. To get the information they need, the attackers promise gifts, for example, and ask their targets to reveal their data, such as their address and a date of birth.

You can protect yourself by never reacting when someone unexpectedly promises you a fancy gift - and generally being careful about where you leave what personal data.

Malware is the term used to describe small programmes that often infiltrate their recipients' computers unnoticed via spam mails or malicious websites. Some malware programmes are able to manipulate transactions.

Anyone who uses a browser wallet, for example, should therefore double and triple check whether the recipient's address is correct for a transaction - because the small programmes often change the addresses in the input masks unnoticed. Beware of this crypto scam!

Actually a smart idea: instead of registering with an exchange, you could also buy your Bitcoin from a private person. But beware:

If you don't know the person, you run the risk of being trapped and robbed on the spot. So you should only get involved in such meetings if you really know the seller personally.

Instead, you could look for Bitcoin regulars' tables. At these events you will be surrounded by many people and will usually find someone offering their cryptocurrencies for sale on the spot.

Phishing emails such as Bitcoin spam emails are usually used to learn passwords. Recipients are often asked to reset their PayPal password, for example. It is not always easy to recognise the scammer straight away.

It can help to take a closer look at the sender's address, Google it or contact the service provider directly. It is best not to react to such mails at all.

If you are asked to change your password and you want to make sure you don't do anything wrong, don't use the link from the email. Instead, visit your provider's website and change your password manually.

Just like phishing e-mails, phishing websites aim to steal users' access information. Often these websites are linked from phishing emails. Often they are almost perfect duplicates of the official company websites.

Therefore, always watch out for irregularities in the website address and avoid as much as possible links that you receive by e-mail or other means from third parties. You should certainly not install software if you are asked to do so.

Advertisements are also used to spread phishing websites. Beware of strange-looking links and look three times before entering your login details on a website.

Ponzi scheme "Double your Bitcoin", such and other tempting promises exist in the so-called Ponzi scheme. In the Ponzi scheme, investors are promised guaranteed returns with an upfront payment.

The scheme deceives victims into believing that the reported profits come from product sales or other funds. In fact, however, the source of funds is other investors.

Only the initiators can profit here, the remaining investors usually lose their money. Keep your fingers away if there is talk of "Double your Bitcoin" or "BTC Doubler".

Behind the pump'n'dump method are often larger groups that try to persuade as many people as possible to invest in a cryptocurrency by claiming to know how the price will behave.

In this way, the aim is to artificially increase the price of the currency so that those behind it can dispose of their investments at a profit. The baited investors, on the other hand, lose.

No one can reliably predict the price trend of a cryptocurrency. If someone claims it, you should distance yourself from them.

To join an investor group, you are asked to pay a joining fee. You are also asked to recruit as many other investors as possible. For each new member you receive a reward.

Each person should pay out shares to the person who recruited them for each new member they recruit. The more members you recruit, the higher your regular payments will theoretically be, and the earlier you join, the higher your profit will be. Right? Wrong!

These snowballs trigger avalanches that eventually reach a valley where they resoundingly burst apart. Because sooner or later, in such systems built on exponential growth, there are no more new members.

Then, at the latest, the newer investors go empty-handed. Ponzi schemes have been around for decades and are strictly forbidden in most countries for good reasons. Fraud victims have also had experiences with Ponzi schemes on the Darknet.

Ransomware is software that partially or completely blocks access to a computer or other device until the victim pays a ransom. Ransomware attacks on UK hospitals made headlines early last year.

Anyone affected by such Bitcoin extortion will not get anywhere without the help of a professional. To prevent this from happening in the first place, follow our advice given in the previous points: Do not click on any links that come from senders you do not know.

Never give your personal details on websites unless you are absolutely sure who they belong to. And avoid installing unfamiliar software on your computer, especially software that requires administrator rights.

Scam coins are altcoins that attempt to collect investor funds with no intention of building a business from which investors could profit. They are solely concerned with convincing investors to invest.

Anyone who invests here is guaranteed never to see their money again. Especially in the ICO segment, you should be careful and check carefully whether there is a valid white paper, whether the founders present themselves transparently, whether there are real partnerships with other companies, and what securities, if any, are offered to you.

Be aware that hype can also be artificially generated. Occasionally, even popular cryptocurrencies like OneCoin are suspected by experts of being crypto scams.