Real cloud mining companies exist, but so do many copies that only collect deposits. Check any offer against these signs.
- Guaranteed or fixed daily returns. Mining income changes with price and difficulty. Nobody can guarantee it.
- Pressure to deposit now. Countdown timers and “last places” are sales tactics.
- Referral rewards as the main feature. If you earn mostly by recruiting others, it can be a pyramid scheme.
- No named company or address. Look for a registered business and real contact details.
- Withdrawal fees or minimums that are hard to reach. Many scams let you “earn” a balance that cannot be withdrawn without a new payment.
- Anonymous reviews and fake screenshots. Check independent sites, not the ones linked by the service.
- Unregulated and unlicensed. Search your national financial regulator’s warning lists.
- Phone-only mining claims. Phones cannot mine profitably. See how Bitcoin mining works.
- Support only through chat apps. Scammers move you to Telegram or WhatsApp.
- Requests for your seed phrase or wallet password. Never share them with anyone.
If you already paid
- Stop sending money, including “tax” or “unlock” fees.
- Save messages, wallet addresses, receipts and screenshots.
- Contact your bank or card provider promptly.
- Report to your local fraud authority, for example Action Fraud in the UK or reportfraud.ftc.gov in the US.
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover funds for an upfront fee.
For the difference between games and real services, read what mining simulator apps are.