Get the weekly summary of crypto market analysis, news, and forecasts! This Week’s Summary The crypto market ends the week at a total market capitalization of $1,09 trillion. Bitcoin is up by over 2% to reach around $27,200. Ethereum increased by nearly 6% to close to $1,700. XRP gained almost 2% in value during a highly volatile week. Almost all altcoins are trading in the green, with virtually no exceptions. The DeFi sector maintains the total value of protocols (TVL)…
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Effective Ways to Identify Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Scams
The phenomenon of Initial Coin Offering (ICO), whose popularity has been growing fast, involves raising capital for new blockchain projects by selling underlying crypto tokens.
The process is similar to Initial Public Offerings (IPO), although ICO is unregulated. Its freedom from regulation makes it a perfect option for bypassing the tedious and regulated process imposed by financial institutions and venture capitalists. However, it comes with a set of risks. As an unregulated activity involving financial resources, you would expect some fraud.
Fraudulent entities may attempt to offer an ICO to accelerate the cryptocurrency prices up to a certain level, after which they sell all their interest. In effect, coin holders experience a decrease in value and end up in loss. Such risks have seen some countries declare ICO illegal while others try to adopt some regulations.
Here are six tips to help you detect fraudulent ICOs.
Evaluate Whitepapers and Websites for Red Flags
A legitimate whitepaper should have complete details about the company. This information includes details of the product, its targeted users and how it benefits them, the token value, the team behind the ICO, and their verifiable personal profiles.
The decision of whether to participate in an ICO should rely on the details of the whitepaper. Legitimate ICOs have a whitepaper, the equivalent of a company’s business plan. Therefore any glossed-over information or unclear data is a big red flag. If the whitepaper is missing vital information, it’s a no for the ICO.
Additionally, the company should have an official website where investors can check out further information. Analyze the site critically while noting any false or unrealistic statements. Also, check the investors’ credentials; if anything appears unconvincing, do not take the risk.
Be Keen on Unrealistic Promises
In the business world, there are no sure deals. So, when the promise sounds too good, it’s time to pull back and reevaluate. Investments involve risks, and you could lose even in legitimate business if you do not make sound decisions or if no proper plan is in place. Excellent opportunities are available, but you have to do your homework first.
Some ICO scammers will come with claims of having made a fortune already, but this is a tactic aimed to create anxiety and make you feel you are missing out on something big.
If the Initial Coin Offering entity promises high returns right away or is trying to give assurance that you will make a profit, take that as a warning sign and keep off!
You can take it a step further and ask to speak with other investors making a profit, but you must tread cautiously. Instead, ask for clarifications and answers. However, if detail is critical and not provided, assume it is missing out deliberately.
Evaluate the Supporting Team
A legitimate ICO project should have entrepreneurs and an engaged and supportive community. The community should consist of relevant persons doing well in their fields. Scammers are aware of this and could showcase a community of over 40,000 members, but most of them are probably bots set to fool potential investors.
To spot fake community accounts, look up the number of people signed on to the platform and go through their profiles. Check the age of their social accounts, what they post, their followers, and whether there are re-posts about the project from commenters. Analyze the communications going on about the project and its nature.
The ICO could be legit if you can verify the members’ actual existence and flow of relevant communication.
Is There a Clear Roadmap?
Everything else may appear legitimate, but how far will it go without a clear roadmap? Carefully follow the outline of the project stages right from the past, present, and future. A serious ICO will come with an up-to-date overview, so investing is a bad idea if it is missing.
How Are They Handling Investor’s Money?
The company should follow the best practices in handling investors’ money. While you are yet to commit your coins to it, you can learn from individuals already in the deal. Check where the entrepreneurs’ contributions go, and ensure they are not getting directed to a trading account or the company is cashing them out.
Such cash handling practices are warning signs on the team’s probability of taking off with investors’ money.
Listen To Your Gut
Every investment should come after extensive research and consideration. Then, you can approach the ICO best, and everything from your research seems legit. However, your guts could still communicate otherwise, and you feel pretty uneasy.
If your guts say something is not okay, you should follow that. Numerous ICO options are available; you can always find another or even better offering.
Summing Up
Although they are high-risk investment options and still unregulated in most countries, ICOs are an excellent way to raise capital and earn investors huge profits. You can evaluate the warning signs for a potential ICO scam, but remember that being legit is still not a guarantee of benefits.
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Investors should do their homework and treat the investment like any other, not a golden opportunity. You could reap high, but it’s all about probability. However, you could increase your chances by thoroughly scrutinizing every opportunity that comes your way. That way, you are unlikely to fall into the traps of scammers or invest in blind projects.
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