Giveaway scams

Technical support scammers set up fake customer support phone lines and impersonate companies—including Coinbase—or regulatory bodies. They manipulate people into providing personal information that will be used for fraudulent purposes. 

To help protect your information:

  • Never give support staff remote access to your computer. This effectively gives a scammer full access to your computer, online financial accounts, and digital life.

  • Never give out your 2-step verification codes or passwords. 

  • Never accept calls asking for your confidential personal information. Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers when conducting outbound calls. 

  • Only contact Coinbase through the phone number or email listed on our Contact us page.

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

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, disconnect the call and email security@coinbase.com immediately.


Note: If you’re disconnected from a customer service call, the agent will call you back within five minutes at the same phone number. Before continuing the conversation, the agent will re-verify your identity with a security question.

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

Giveaway scams

Scammers are using social media to perpetuate giveaway scams. They post screenshots of forged messages from companies and executives promoting a giveaway with hyperlinks to fraudulent websites. Fake accounts will then respond to these posts affirming the scam as legitimate. The fraudulent websites will then ask that you “verify” your address by sending cryptocurrency to the scam giveaway. 

Learning rewards is a legitimate method for earning cryptocurrency and any giveaways that Coinbase offers will direct you to Coinbase.com.

Coinbase will never ask you to send crypto to an address in order to receive crypto back.

Image shows a tweet that includes a falsified screenshot. The screenshot looks to be a giveaway hosted by the official Coinbase Twitter and endorsed by the Coinbase CEO.  Large red letters spelling SCAM are superimposed over the screenshot.
  • Never send cryptocurrency to giveaways under the guise of address verification. 

  • Be skeptical of all giveaways and offers found on social media. Do not trust screenshots in reply messages as images can be forged and altered. 

  • Use your favorite search engine to do research on any entity soliciting you on social media. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

  • Check the giveaway URL to make sure it directs you to Coinbase.com.

  • Report any phishing attempts or scams.

Coinbase’s legitimate social media profiles are listed in this help article. Any other profiles should be considered fraudulent.