exit scam
Take money, vanish
An exit scam is a fraud where operators of a business—typically online—suddenly shut down and disappear with customers' money.
Common in cryptocurrency exchanges, darknet markets, and fraudulent investment schemes: The exchange turned out to be an exit scam; users lost millions.
The scam often follows a period of building trust and accumulating funds.
Fraudulent project abandonment
- pump and dumpFraudulent stock inflation scheme
- Ponzi schemeFraudulent returns from newcomers
- market manipulationArtificially distorting asset prices
- unregulatedNot controlled by rules
Flee to avoid capture
- vanishCease to be visible
- fleeDepart swiftly from threat
- skip townDepart hastily to evade
- ghostingAbruptly ceasing all communication
slip away · go dark · decamp · exfiltrate · underground · clandestine · hideout · offshore
Deception for financial gain
- conArgument against
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- griftSwindle or petty fraud
- flimflamDeceptive scheme or nonsense
bunco · rip-off · hustle · money laundering · white-collar crime · charlatan · imposture · misrepresentation
Betray someone's trust
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
- treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
abandonment · forsake · breach of trust · broken promises · victims · duped · mislead · confidence trick
rug pull
Fraudulent project abandonment
- pump and dumpFraudulent stock inflation scheme
- Ponzi schemeFraudulent returns from newcomers
- market manipulationArtificially distorting asset prices
abscond
Flee to avoid capture
ghosting · slip away · go dark · decamp · exfiltrate · underground · clandestine · hideout · offshore · untraceable
swindle
Deception for financial gain
- conArgument against
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- griftSwindle or petty fraud
flimflam · bunco · rip-off · hustle · money laundering · white-collar crime · charlatan · imposture · misrepresentation · dupery
backstab
Betray someone's trust
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
- treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
perfidy · abandonment · forsake · breach of trust · broken promises · victims · duped · mislead · confidence trick · long con
- financial fraudsecurities fraud, bank fraud, accounting fraud, defalcation, embezzler
- scamsfraud, frauds, swindle, swindles, con
- crypto crimesrug pull, pump and dump, Ponzi scheme, cryptojacking, phishing
- crypto scamsrug pull, pump and dump, honeypot