Liquidity pools are the foundation of DeFi, ensuring easy and direct trading without the need for third parties. However, some of these liquidity pools are very different. Scammers are active in several places, coming up with different ways to defraud hard-earned crypto investors. Let’s take a look at crypto pools, how fake pools operate, and how to avoid such scams.

What is Crypto Pool?

Smart contracts lock up cryptocurrency to create cryptocurrency pools. These liquidity pools (often referred to as LPs) allow users to trade their liquidity with popular cryptocurrencies, eliminating the need for an order book. Liquidity providers contribute their funds and tokens to the pool. For this, they receive incentives, including trading fees or governance tokens, among others.

But here’s the thing: it’s common to see fraudulent individuals running initial coin offerings and disappearing with the money or simply liquidating customers’ coins without their knowledge. This makes it important to learn what signs to look out for and how you can protect your investment.

How Fake Cryptocurrency Liquidity Pools Work

Fake crypto liquidity pools act like regular pooling services but use misleading methods like rug pulling. Here's how it happens:

  • Pool Setup: Developers deposit tokens into the pool with a widely recognized currency like Ether or USDT.

  • Token Hype: They attract investors with attractive advertisements and attractive investment returns.

  • Pull the rug: Attract enough money, then the scammers take all the liquidity and the investors get nothing.

Real-world example: Meerkat Finance lured investors in 2021 and withdrew $31 million from its liquidity pool, citing a “smart contract compromise.” Another project, Swaprum, disappeared with $3 million in 2023 and deleted all social media profiles.

How to Spot Fake Cryptocurrency Liquidity Pools

The comeback is too good to be true.


Anything that promises to double your money in a day is alarming. Real investments don't offer such high rates of return.

Anonymous Developer

It is better to be careful if you have little or no information about the team behind some projects. Legitimate projects have transparent and experienced teams.

Unaudited smart contracts

Scammers often skip audits to avoid scrutiny. Check to see if the team's smart contract has undergone proper third-party audits. This is an easy thing to check. Don't skip it.

Inactive Community

Cryptocurrency projects are healthy if users are active and developers are polite when answering user questions. It is important to not get involved with projects that have little or no social shares and be wary of bot-controlled communities.

Questionable Tokennomics

Manipulation can increase when insiders or developers hold many tokens.

Conclusion

While liquidity pools fuel the growth of DeFi, some scams have originated from fake pools. These are red flags that you should avoid to protect your investment. It also shows that doing your research will help you avoid scams. Don’t forget the saying, ‘He who pays the piper wins’ or the fact that not all ‘shiny’ coins are crypto. Stick to legitimate crypto pools and you’ll be fine.

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