Learning about common scams can help protect your funds and your personal information. While keeping an eye out for scams, keep in mind that Strike employees will never:

• Ask for your account email, password, confirmation code, or PIN
• Request a payment from you (including fees or taxes to be paid in bitcoin)
• Send you links within text messages
• Contact you outside official channels, such as messages within the Strike app or via email from support@strike.me
• Ask you to download 3rd party apps or other software on to your phone or computer

Please note, Strike does not offer customer support over the phone. If you are in contact with someone over the phone who claims to be from Strike please cease communications with them immediately and contact our support team via in-app support or via email.

Listed below are some common scams and some tips on how to protect yourself against them:

Phishing scams

Phishing scams involve deceptive messages that appear to be from legitimate sources to try to trick you into giving up sensitive information. Scammers use emails, text messages, websites, or online messages that look like they’re from a trusted source, such as your bank or Strike, to try to collect information from you to gain access to your account to steal funds or engage in fraudulent activities.

How to protect yourself from phishing scams:

• Never share your passwords or confirmation codes with others.
• Always verify email addresses or website URLs to make sure they are legitimate and don’t contain misspellings.
• Avoid clicking on links in emails, texts, or social media messages from unknown sources.
• Use unique email accounts for different services.
• Avoid disclosing personal information publicly online.
• Communicate with Strike via official channels, such as in-app customer support or by email at support@strike.me.

Impersonation scams

Impersonation scams involve scammers pretending to be a trusted individual to try and trick you into sending them money. These scammers often reach out via popular apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram, Twitter, or text message apps and change their user profile or photo to look the same as a friend or trusted person. Scammers can impersonate friends, family members, celebrities, tax authorities, law enforcement agents, bank representatives, or Strike employees, and then use a false sense of urgency to get you to pay them or give up sensitive information.

Remember, you should only communicate with Strike via official channels, such as in-app customer support or by email at support@strike.me. When you connect with Strike support, they will never ask you for your PIN, account email, or confirmation codes and will never ask for a payment from you.

How to protect yourself from impersonation scams:

• If you receive a phone call, verify the person’s identity through alternate means of communication.
• Be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls or messages claiming urgent need of attention.
• Double-check usernames before making transactions in the Strike app.
• Block unknown users in the Strike app who request money from you, and report them to support@strike.me.

Investment or crypto scams

Investment or crypto scams involve scammers requesting money (especially bitcoin) with a promise that they’ll deliver some benefit, such as investment returns, interest on your bitcoin, or some crypto token or asset. Scammers often promote or solicit investments for their schemes on popular apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram, X (Twitter) or via direct messages. Once they take payment from their victim, the scammers may cease communication or continue asking for more and more money to unlock the victim’s previous “investment” before disappearing altogether.

Remember, since bitcoin transactions are irreversible, Strike cannot recover or reimburse you after you authorize a transaction.

How to protect yourself from investment or crypto scams:

• Remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Be wary of promises or “guarantees” of investment returns.
• Don’t invest in crypto assets where you don’t understand the risks.
• Thoroughly research any wallet app or exchange service before creating an account and trading, including searching for any negative reviews.
• Only send your bitcoin to recipients that you know and trust.
• Use extreme caution when considering large cryptocurrency investments.
• If you're asked to pay taxes or fees using cryptocurrency (including bitcoin), then it is likely a scam.

Prize or refund scams

Prize and refund scams involve scammers contacting their victim to falsely inform them that they’ve won a prize or are entitled to a special refund or bonus. To claim the non-existent money, the scammers instruct the victim to click a link, provide some personal information, or even send them some money.

How to protect yourself from prize or refund scams:

• Assume anyone offering to give you free money or cryptocurrency is trying to scam you.
• Don’t engage with messages offering free money or free crypto.
• Be wary of any offers of a refund, and only engage with service providers by contacting them through official communication channels.

Romance or relationship scams

Romance or relationship scams involve scammers creating fake online profiles to build emotional relationships with their victims, often through popular apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, or other social media platforms. Once a relationship is established, they request money under false pretenses, usually for fabricated emergencies, travel expenses, or investment opportunities. Scammers can also use AI to create realistic photos, videos, or even voices, tricking victims into believing they’re interacting with a real person, when in fact they’re not.

How to protect yourself from romance scams:

• Be cautious with online relationships.
• Avoid sending money to people who you have never met in real life.
• Don’t give in to false claims of urgency, pressure, or threats.

Job or task scams

Job or task scams involve fraudulent job postings, job training, or work opportunities that lure victims into sending money or personal information. Scammers might advertise these fake jobs online, through social media posts, or even directly to their victims via text or direct message, then promise easy money, remote work, or quick training to entice potential victims. Once they’ve collected their victim’s payment or sensitive information, the scammer fails to deliver on their promises or disappears entirely.

How to protect yourself from job or task scams:

• Before applying to a job, check the company’s website and search for any negative reviews to see if they’re legitimate.
• Be cautious of job offers that come to you without you actively searching for work, such as from unsolicited email or text messages.
• Be skeptical of jobs or training that don’t have a legitimate online presence or that require that you pay upfront fees, including in bitcoin.
• Apply for jobs through companies’ official websites or through trusted job boards.

Tax or fee scams

Tax or fee scams involve scammers convincing victims that they owe taxes, fees, penalties, or withholding amounts, and then demanding payment, often in bitcoin or cryptocurrency. These scammers may operate a fraudulent investment or trading platform, displaying account balances or gains, which may or may not exist, and then require their victim to pay a tax or fee to access their funds or to continue investing. In some cases, scammers may also impersonate tax authorities, pressuring victims to send money to avoid fake penalties or fines. It’s important to remember that legitimate tax authorities only communicate through official channels and never demand payments in bitcoin or cryptocurrencies.

How to protect yourself from tax or fee scams:

• Thoroughly research any trading, investment, or crypto platform before signing up or sending funds, including searching for the negative reviews.
• Be skeptical of anyone asking for taxes, fees, penalties, or fines to be paid in bitcoin or cryptocurrency.
• Always contact government or tax authorities through their official communication channels.
• Don’t rush decisions, especially when it involves sending irreversible bitcoin transactions.