Nigerian crypto scams: How to spot fake airdrops, fake exchanges, and crypto fraud in Nigeria
When people talk about Nigerian crypto scams, fraudulent schemes targeting crypto users through fake airdrops, impersonated exchanges, and phishing attacks often linked to Nigeria. Also known as crypto fraud in West Africa, these scams exploit trust, urgency, and the promise of free money to steal funds from beginners and even experienced users. It’s not about the country—it’s about bad actors using Nigerian-sounding names, local payment methods, and social media groups to make their lies feel real.
These scams usually follow the same pattern: you get a DM on Telegram or Twitter claiming you’ve won a fake airdrop, a non-existent token distribution promised as free crypto, often tied to a fake project like CHIHUA or TOKAU ETERNAL BOND. They ask you to connect your wallet, pay a small gas fee to "unlock" your tokens, or send a little crypto to "verify" your identity. Once you do, your funds vanish. No tokens arrive. No refund. The whole thing was a trap built on hype and fake websites. These scams thrive because they mimic real projects—like the Negocie Coins, a Brazilian exchange that disappeared after being exposed as a scam—but they’re even more aggressive in Nigeria, where crypto adoption is high and financial literacy is uneven.
Another big one is the fake crypto exchange, a website that looks like Binance or Coinbase but runs on a cloned domain and steals login details or private keys. Some even create fake customer support teams that chat with you for days to gain trust before asking for your seed phrase. The most dangerous part? These scams often use real-looking screenshots, fake testimonials, and even Nigerian influencers to push them. You might see someone on Instagram saying, "I got 10,000 AINU tokens for free!"—but AINU’s gas fees alone make trading it unprofitable. That’s not a win. That’s a red flag.
And it’s not just about money. These scams damage trust in crypto as a whole. People hear about Nigerian scams and assume all crypto is risky. But the real issue isn’t blockchain—it’s bad actors. The tools to protect yourself are simple: never pay to claim free crypto, never share your seed phrase, and always check if a project has real trading volume, a live team, and verified social accounts. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. If it’s an airdrop with zero supply, like DSG token, a token with no trading volume and no real contract, it’s a scam.
What you’ll find below isn’t just a list of past scams. It’s a collection of real case studies—projects that vanished, exchanges that disappeared, and airdrops that never existed. Each post breaks down how the scam worked, who got hurt, and how you can spot the same tricks before you lose your funds. You won’t find fluff here. Just facts, patterns, and the exact signs to watch for so you never become the next victim.