Technical support and impersonation scams

Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible. If you send cryptocurrency to a third party, you cannot reverse it or stop payment. When you send cryptocurrency to a blockchain address, you must be certain of the legitimacy of any involved third-party services and merchants, and only send cryptocurrency to entities you trust. 

Pro tip: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Technical support and impersonation scams

Fraudsters set up scam customer support phone lines and impersonate a variety of companies—including Coinbase—in the finance, tech, retail, telecom, and service industries, or they may impersonate regulatory bodies. These phone numbers can be spammed on the internet, luring unsuspecting victims seeking assistance, or scammers may conduct outbound calls directly to potential victims.

These scammers are skilled in social engineering, making false claims to deceive and manipulate their target into providing personal information that will be used for fraudulent purposes. 

  • Never give support staff (or anyone else for that matter) remote access to your machine. This effectively gives the scammer full access to your computer, online financial accounts, and digital life.

  • Never give out your 2FA (2-Factor Authentication) security codes or passwords. Coinbase staff will never ask you to share sensitive authentication credentials. 

  • Never accept outbound calls asking for your confidential personal information. Be aware that scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers when conducting outbound calls. 

  • Only contact Coinbase via the phone number or email listed on our Contact Us form

  • Never send cryptocurrency to external addresses on behalf of alleged support agents. Coinbase staff will never ask you to send cryptocurrency to external addresses.

Important

In the event you’re on a call with Coinbase Customer Service and you’re disconnected, the agent you were speaking with will call you back (outbound call) within five minutes at the same phone number. Before continuing the conversation, the agent will re-verify your identity with a security question. 

Coinbase Customer Service agents will never:

  • Ask for your password or 2-step verification code

  • Ask you to install software on your device

  • Remotely access your device to take action on your account

  • Access or move funds held in your account

If you’re asked for any of the above, please disconnect the call and email security@coinbase.com immediately.