Nine warning signs an exchange may not be safeBitcoin / U.S. dollarBITSTAMP:BTCUSDtakamecheckThis is not a market view on BTC. It is a checklist for the step before any trade: deciding whether the venue holding your funds deserves that trust. The warning signs that matter most are: no named legal entity, no license you can verify on a regulator's own register, guaranteed returns, withdrawals that get harder as balances get larger, and pressure to act quickly. One of these is a reason to look closer; several together is a reason to stay away. 1. You cannot tell which company you are dealing with. No company name, registration number or address. 2. The license cannot be found on the regulator's own site. Logos on a marketing page are not evidence; the register is, and the entity name there should match the terms of service. 3. Returns are guaranteed. No regulated venue guarantees a yield on a volatile asset. 4. Withdrawals get harder as the balance gets bigger. Small ones clear, larger ones need a fee, a tax payment or an upgrade. The extra payment never releases the balance. 5. You were introduced to it by someone you met online. 6. There is a deadline. Urgency exists to stop you checking. 7. Support only exists in a chat app. 8. The order book is thin or the price is off. Compare price and depth with a major venue; huge reported volume on an empty book is not real trading. 9. A regulator has already named it on a warning list. Not proof of fraud, but a documented fact worth knowing before you deposit. If you have already deposited: stop sending money, save URLs, wallet addresses, transaction hashes and chat logs, report it to your police and financial regulator, and be careful of "recovery" services that contact you afterwards. Educational only, not investment advice.