Check the address. Open services from a bookmark or our link checker, never from ads or DMs.
Read the KYC level and any alerts on the listing, and glance at the tracker for recent incidents.
Test with a small amount first, especially with a service you haven't used before.
Set a refund address you control, on the same coin and network you're sending.
Prefer a fixed-rate quote and send the exact amount before it expires.
Don't send straight from a mixer, darknet market or flagged source. Swap services' liquidity partners screen deposits, and flagged coins are the usual reason funds get held.
Save the order ID and transaction hash as soon as you send.
Swap stuck, or asked for ID after you deposited?
This is one of the most common problems people report. Many instant-swap services route trades through a larger exchange — their liquidity partner. If that partner's screening flags your deposit, the trade pauses and you may be asked for ID or proof of where the coins came from ("shotgun KYC").
Don't panic and don't send more. Delays of a few hours are common when networks are busy.
Check the basics. Confirm the transaction on a block explorer, and that you sent the right coin, on the right network, above the minimum.
Gather evidence: order ID, transaction hashes, deposit address, times, and a screenshot of the quote.
Contact support in writing through the official site. Ask whether the trade is paused for AML review, which partner flagged it, and whether it can be refunded to your refund address without KYC. Some services do refund without ID — get the answer in writing.
Think hard before sending documents. Once you hand over ID you can't take it back. Weigh the amount at stake against that permanent cost.
Set a deadline, then escalate publicly. A factual post with your order ID — never your seed phrase or personal details — on community forums often gets a response.
Report it to us with the Report a problem form on the service's listing. Confirmed cases become public alerts that warn others.
"Recovery" services and DMs offering to unfreeze your funds for a fee are scams. Nobody legitimate will contact you first.
Fake sites and phishing
Clones copy a real service's design on a lookalike domain — an extra letter, a different ending, or words like "-swap" or "-app". Paste any link into the link checker.
Search ads are a common route to clones. Don't click ads for crypto services.
For onion addresses, check them against the project's own signed mirror list where one exists.
No real service will ask for your seed phrase, or ask you to "verify" or "sync" your wallet on a website.
When a service shuts down or is seized, scammers often launch sites using its name. The tracker lists recent closures.
Peer-to-peer trading safely
Keep everything inside the platform: trade chat, escrow and disputes. Anyone trying to move you to another app is a red flag.
As a seller, release coins only once the money is in your own account — never on the strength of a screenshot.
Reversible payment methods such as PayPal carry chargeback risk. Bank transfers and cash are safer.
Watch for triangulation: a payment from someone other than your trading partner may be stolen money. Refund it and cancel.
For cash in person, meet in a busy public place and count before you leave.
Start small, with counterparties who have a long, clean record. See the P2P comparison for each platform's protections.
Keeping your wallet safe
Write your seed phrase on paper or metal and store it offline. Never photograph it or keep it in cloud notes.
Install wallets only from the official site — our wallet finder links to each listing — and keep them updated.
Keep savings on a hardware wallet and only spending money on your phone.
Use a new receiving address for every payment.
Report a problem
Every listing has a Report a problem form for frozen funds, sudden ID demands, clones and exit scams. We review each report; confirmed issues are published as alerts and in the tracker.