Fake Crypto Support Scams: What Real Exchange and Wallet Support Never Asks For

Fake cryptocurrency support usually starts with a caller, message or email that claims to be your exchange or wallet's support, then asks for something real support does not ask for. A fake crypto exchange support call may ask for your recovery phrase, a login code, control of your device or a transfer to a "safe" wallet. Reach support only from inside the provider's app or an address you typed yourself, because a phone number you find online can belong to a scammer.

What real exchange and wallet support never asks for

As of October 2026, these are the requests the providers below say their support never makes, plus one rule from the FTC on payments:

• Your recovery phrase or private keys. A recovery phrase (also called a seed phrase) is the list of words that restores a wallet, covered in what a seed phrase is. MetaMask (opens in a new tab), Ledger (opens in a new tab) and Kraken (opens in a new tab) each say they never ask for it. MetaMask also names private keys and your password, Ledger names the 24 words, and Kraken says this applies to a seed phrase on any wallet.
• Your password or 2FA codes. 2FA (two-factor authentication) is the extra code or key, besides your password, that proves it is you. Kraken's list of requests it never makes includes your username, password, 2FA codes and Master Key.
• Remote access to your device. Remote access software, such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer, lets another person see and control your screen. Kraken lists installing it among the things it never asks.
• A move to a "safe" wallet. Kraken names sending crypto, or moving your funds to a "safe" or "secure" wallet or address, as a request it never makes.
• A payment to fix your account. Kraken never asks for a payment to release, unfreeze or "verify" your funds. The FTC (opens in a new tab) adds that only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency, and no legitimate business demands crypto in advance, even to protect your money.

These are each provider's own rules. A request from this list is a reason to stop, whoever the sender claims to be.

Exchange support and wallet support work differently

A crypto exchange holds your account, so start any support request from inside that account. A self-custody wallet works the other way: you control the funds and the access, as explained in custodial and non-custodial wallets.

MetaMask says (opens in a new tab) it cannot recover or control your funds if you lose your phrase or password, and that it cannot access Secret Recovery Phrases. So someone claiming to be MetaMask support who offers to sync, unlock or fix your wallet with your phrase is not real. The same logic holds for any self-custody wallet: the phrase is the access, so anyone who asks for it is asking for your funds.

Why a support number from search results can be fake

As of October 2026, Kraken says (opens in a new tab) it does not publish direct dial-in support numbers, and says any number found online that claims to be Kraken Support should be treated as a potential phishing scam. It also says its support will not call you without first arranging contact through email or chat.

If you are searching for a crypto exchange customer service number, a number on a forum, a hosted page or an ad proves nothing about who answers it. Don't use a search engine to get to your exchange or any other sensitive site: scammers buy ad space (opens in a new tab) so fake sites appear at the top of results. The FBI gives the same advice and recommends bookmarks (opens in a new tab) for login sites.

For a wallet support phone number, check the wallet's own site first. MetaMask says (opens in a new tab) it does not have a phone number.

Ledger says (opens in a new tab) it will never contact users by phone call, for any reason. For any other provider, look for its contact options on its own site or in its app.

How to reach real crypto support, step by step

As of October 2026, Kraken (opens in a new tab) and MetaMask (opens in a new tab) both describe contact that starts with you: Kraken does not call without arranging it first, and MetaMask's support never reaches out first by direct message or email.

1. Open the provider's app or type its address

   Use the app you installed yourself, a bookmark you saved when you first signed up, or the address typed into the browser's address bar, checking it for typos. Do not tap a link in a message, an ad or a search result. If you have no bookmark yet, make one the next time you reach the real site.

2. Find the help or support section from there

   Look for Help or Support inside the app or the signed-in site. Kraken says that, where applicable, a "Call us" option appears in the Support tab of its mobile apps, so a call can begin there. MetaMask lists its support articles, its community pages and chat with support agents as its official routes.

3. Open a ticket or chat inside the app or site

   Describe the problem and keep the ticket in your account. For a missing deposit, what support will ask you for lists what to have ready. Ledger names (opens in a new tab) the chat widget on its own support site as its official channel.

4. End any contact that someone else started

   Hang up or close the chat. Do not trust caller ID. Start again at step 1, even if the person knew details about you.

5. Check that the case is in your account

   If someone mentions a ticket, a case or a frozen account, look for it in your account or in the support chat. MetaMask says you only receive support emails if you contacted support first and opened a ticket in its official chat. A case you did not open is a warning, not something to answer.

How fake support scams reach you

As of October 2026, these are the routes a crypto support scam uses, as the providers and agencies describe them:

• A phone call. The FTC warns (opens in a new tab) that scammers impersonate well-known companies and may call, text, email or message on social media, claiming fraud on your account. Kraken lists (opens in a new tab) a "support" number reached through a search engine, an ad or a social media reply as a red flag.
• A reply or direct message after you post a problem. Ledger says (opens in a new tab) scammers reply to users' posts and ask for a direct message, and Ledger says it never sends direct messages on social media. MetaMask says (opens in a new tab) its support never sends one first. Kraken says (opens in a new tab) it may send a direct message after you raised a concern publicly, so a message after a post proves nothing either way. Check it by starting again at step 1.
• A message or call aimed at your login. The FBI warned (opens in a new tab) in November 2025 that criminals pose as a financial institution's employees, customer support or technical support to get your login details, including one-time codes, and take over your account. For look-alike login pages, read how to sign in every time.
• A live chat on a site you reached from an ad. The site may be a look-alike, as the section on search results explains, so a chat there proves nothing.

Made-up example: a late withdrawal and a fake support reply

This example is invented, with no real provider, number or price.

1. A withdrawal of 0.5 coins is late, so you post about it in a public group.
2. Within minutes, an account with the provider's logo replies and asks you to continue in a private chat. Step 4 stops this: a message you did not start is not proof, so you open the app instead.
3. The "agent" asks for your 12 recovery words to "sync" the wallet. The first item in the never-asks list stops this: the providers listed there say their support never asks for the phrase.
4. The "agent" then suggests moving the 0.5 coins to a "secure" address. This is the "safe wallet" script, so you send nothing.
5. In the app's Support section, you open a ticket and check the withdrawal's status there.

The fake agent never needed to hack anything, only to get you to hand something over. Starting from the app took the conversation away from the one who started it.

If you already shared something or paid

Pick the line that matches what you gave away:

• Recovery phrase: treat it as compromised and follow what to do if someone may have seen it.
• Password or 2FA code: follow what to do if you think someone got in.
• Remote access: Kraken's help center advises (opens in a new tab) disconnecting the device from the internet, ending any active session and uninstalling the remote access software completely, checking installed applications and startup items for anything you do not recognize, changing the password for the email linked to your exchange account and for any other account that was visible during the session (from a separate, trusted device), and treating the phrase of any self-custody wallet that was on that device as compromised. For the exchange password and signed-in sessions, follow what to do if you think someone got in.
• Crypto sent or a fee paid: read what to do if you already sent money, and where to report a crypto scam.

Anyone who then contacts you offering to get your crypto back for a fee is a second scam, Kraken says (opens in a new tab). The guide to crypto scams has more.

Risks to understand

Crypto payments typically are not reversible (opens in a new tab), so a transfer you make to a scammer is usually gone. Caller ID, a polished profile, a logo or a familiar thread is not proof of who is writing or calling. You could lose everything in the wallet or account you give access to.

Set up account protections before a problem happens: how to secure your crypto exchange account is the next step.