Falso exchange de cripto y wallet drainer: cómo funciona, señales y qué hacer
Crypto · alto
A fake exchange is a site or app that imitates a real exchange or poses as a new high-yield platform. It shows fictitious balances and profits but blocks withdrawals or charges "fees" to release them. It is often promoted through ads, fake influencers and romance scams.
A wallet drainer is malicious code hidden in fake airdrop sites, NFT mints or DeFi protocol clones. When the victim "connects wallet" and signs a permission (approve or permit), they authorize the contract to move their tokens. There is also address poisoning, where the scammer sends tiny transactions from a look-alike address so the victim copies it from their history.
In October 2026, Polymarket confirmed a supply-chain attack through a third-party vendor using wallet-drainer code, with losses above US$ 2.1 million, according to The Record. The FBI IC3 linked US$ 11.366 billion in losses to crypto in 2025.
Sinais / Signs
- A platform not listed with regulators or trusted sources
- Withdrawals blocked until you pay a "tax" or "verification fee"
- An airdrop or mint site with a countdown and a link from a DM or ad
- Wallet asks for unlimited approval or to sign a message you do not understand
- An address in your history very similar to a usual contact's
Prevenção / Prevention
- Use only well-known exchanges and, in Brazil, check Central Bank authorization for virtual asset providers
- Open sites from bookmarks, never from ads or messages
- Read what your wallet asks you to sign and revoke old approvals periodically
- Keep a low-balance "hot" wallet for interacting with new sites
- Check the full address before sending, not just the start and end
- Never share your seed phrase or private key
O que fazer / What to do
- Revoke wallet approvals and move remaining funds to a new wallet
- Record hashes, addresses and the site; alert exchanges that may receive the funds
- Report to IC3 (US) or file a police report (Brazil)
- Ignore "crypto recovery" offers that charge upfront
FAQ
Is just connecting my wallet to a site dangerous?
Connecting usually only reveals your address. The risk is in signing transactions or approvals.
Does a hardware wallet protect against drainers?
It protects the private key, but it does not stop you approving a malicious contract. You still need to read what you sign.
Radar
- — Polymarket pierde más de US$ 2,1 millones por un wallet drainer vía DebugBear · > US$ 2,1 mi. Código malicioso inyectado a través del proveedor DebugBear vació billeteras de usuarios del mercado de predicciones. Fuente: The Record
FBI IC3 - Internet Crime Complaint Center · The Record - Polymarket confirms cyberattack via third party · FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report (PDF) · Lefosse - BCB regulamenta prestadoras de serviços de ativos virtuais