Fake exchange balance screenshot alert

A screenshot is not proof of funds. Fake dashboards and edited images are common in crypto investment and recovery scams.

The user is shown a balance to create confidence, then told to pay taxes, unlock fees or verification charges before withdrawing.

• A platform or contact shows a profit, recovered balance or pending withdrawal screenshot.
• The user is told the balance cannot be released until a payment is made.
• After payment, the screenshot changes or another obstacle appears.

CryptoRescue labels this as a risk-pattern alert. The page is designed to help a reader pause, preserve evidence and avoid additional payments. It is not a finding that every similar message is from the same actor, and it is not a promise that funds can be recovered.

• The screenshot cannot be matched to a real official account or transaction.
• The platform refuses to provide verifiable withdrawal records.
• The balance is used to justify more crypto payments.
• The dashboard domain has weak or no public reputation.

One signal may be explainable. Several signals together should slow the user down. The strongest red flags are requests for seed phrases, private keys, remote access, additional crypto payments, secrecy or pressure to move the conversation away from official support.

• Do not pay to unlock a screenshot balance.
• Ask for verifiable transaction hashes and official account routes.
• Save original images with timestamps and chat context.
• Use the warning checker and transaction lookup router.

The first goal is to prevent more loss. If a wallet secret was exposed, treat the wallet as compromised. If only a payment request was received, do not send the payment while you collect and verify evidence. If a transaction already happened, preserve the hash and explorer URL before chats or dashboards disappear.

• Screenshot files and where they were received.
• Platform URL, account ID and support messages.
• Any claimed transaction hash or wallet address.
• Payment demands tied to the displayed balance.

Keep the original evidence and the follow-up evidence separate. Many crypto cases have two stages: the first scam and then a fake recovery, tax, legal or support scam. Mixing the timelines makes reports harder to read.

Use the warning checker when you have a platform name, domain, social handle, payment request or recovery pitch. Use the transaction lookup router when you have a wallet address or transaction hash. Use the evidence kit when you already paid, connected a wallet, signed an approval or shared documents. The order matters: first preserve the evidence, then check official sources, then decide whether the page is ready for a report or needs more evidence check.

If a known exchange, wallet or service name appears in the story, open the related service profile or research review before trusting a private support route. If the case includes a coin or network, open the coin profile and explorer context so the report says exactly which chain, token and transaction are involved.

Write the timeline in plain language: who contacted you, which site or app was used, what payment or signature was requested, what you sent, what changed after the payment, and which evidence proves each step. Avoid guessing about the attacker identity unless there is a source that supports it. It is safer to say "this account requested an AML fee" than to say "this company stole funds" without independent evidence.

That discipline protects the reader and the site. It also makes the case easier to escalate because the important details are not buried under emotion, screenshots without context or unsupported accusations.

• Do not trust internal dashboards as proof of recoverable funds.
• Do not pay taxes, insurance or clearance fees to a wallet address.
• Do not delete screenshots; preserve them as evidence.

Do not let urgency make the evidence worse. A clean record of URLs, contacts, wallet addresses, transaction hashes and timestamps is more useful than a rushed payment made to test whether the contact is telling the truth.

Screenshots are cheap to create and emotionally powerful. They make a fake balance feel close enough to justify one more payment.

Crypto payments can be difficult or impossible to reverse once confirmed. That makes prevention, early verification and evidence preservation more important than hopeful follow-up payments to strangers.

This alert is based on consumer crypto-scam guidance and evidence-preservation practice.