If you searched "Bitcoin scammer list," you're probably about to send (or have already sent) money to an address you don't fully trust. Good instinct. Here's how to actually verify in under a minute.
There isn't one master list — there are several, and they overlap
No single database has every Bitcoin scammer. Useful sources include:
- [GACS Safe Scanner](/safe-scanner) — cross-references the GACS blacklist, CryptoScamDB, URLhaus, FCA unauthorised-firm warnings, and IC3-derived addresses in one query. 4-second answer.
- CryptoScamDB — community-curated, focused on phishing domains and scam wallet addresses
- Chainabuse — TRM Labs' reporting hub; user-submitted but moderated
- BitcoinAbuse / Bitcoin Generator Scam database — older but still useful for legacy addresses
- FBI IC3 public alerts — published advisories on active campaigns
The reason no single list is complete: scammers create new wallets daily. The best you can do is check multiple sources at once, which is exactly what GACS Safe Scanner does.
How to actually check a Bitcoin address
- Copy the address you were given
- Paste it into the Safe Scanner wallet input
- If it's flagged on *any* source, do not send funds. Period.
- If it's clean but the *context* feels wrong (stranger pressuring you, "guaranteed returns," "you need to send a fee to release your withdrawal") — still do not send funds. Most newly-deployed scam wallets aren't yet in any database; the social context is the better signal.
You can also look the address up on a block explorer like mempool.space or blockchain.com. If it has hundreds of small incoming transactions in rapid succession, that's the classic scam-aggregation pattern.
Bitcoin addresses we currently track
GACS surfaces every blacklisted wallet at /wallet/<address>. You can browse the public list at /scams/c/drainer-wallets. Each page shows the address, the chain, the source that confirmed it, when it was first reported, and how many user reports back it up.
The catch: addresses are not the only signal
Bitcoin scammers rotate addresses constantly. A "clean" address result doesn't mean the *person* asking for the funds is legitimate. It just means that specific address hasn't been reported yet.
If you're being asked to send Bitcoin and any of these are true, treat the request as a scam regardless of the wallet check:
- Stranger online (Telegram, WhatsApp, Tinder, LinkedIn) who introduced an "opportunity"
- "Customer support" calling or DMing you unprompted
- Romance interest you've never met in person
- "Recovery expert" promising to get back funds from an earlier scam
- Any "guaranteed return"
- Any pressure to act in the next hour
Read how pig butchering actually works — it's the pattern behind most of the 2026 losses.
I already sent Bitcoin — can I get it back?
The short, honest answer: usually no. Bitcoin is irreversible by design. But there are still actions worth taking:
- Stop all contact with the scammer
- Screenshot everything before they delete the chat
- Report the wallet at GACS so the next victim can find it
- File with IC3, Action Fraud, or your local cybercrime unit
- Notify the receiving exchange (use a block explorer to identify it) — they may freeze if reported within hours
- Follow the 30-day recovery plan
- Do not pay any "recovery expert" that contacts you. They are themselves scammers. See why.
Bottom line
The fastest way to check a Bitcoin address against a real scammer list is Safe Scanner. Do it before you send. After you send, your options are mostly damage control.