When you invest in crypto, you need to think about security as much as price. The cryptocurrency space is notoriously volatile and a lot less regulated than traditional investment areas, which makes it vulnerable to bad actors. Despite the risks, there are a number of ways to protect your investments from cybercriminals and keep your cryptocurrency safe.

First and foremost, you need to invest in cryptocurrency through a reputable broker. Choosing a crypto exchange with a good track record and secure hardware wallets will help you avoid some of the most common cryptocurrency scams. Additionally, you should make sure that you are always researching the products or services you buy and never investing more than you can afford to lose.

Another big concern is the risk of theft. The blockchain technology that powers cryptos does come with some inherent security benefits, but it also means that you can’t usually “take back” a transaction once it has gone through. This is a big problem, especially since there’s no customer service department you can call when something goes wrong.

Crypto investors are also a target of impersonation scams, where criminals pretend to be legitimate companies or people you trust. This could be a text message, email, social media post, or even a pop-up on your computer. They will try to convince you that there’s a security breach and ask for money to fix it. This is an obvious sign that you’re dealing with a scammer, so it’s crucial to always do your research and be skeptical of any offers you receive.

In addition to these security concerns, cryptocurrencies aren’t backed or insured by any government agency, so you don’t have the same level of protection as you would with a regulated investment space. This means that if someone gets your private keys or the crypto wallet you use to store your coins, you won’t have any way to recover your assets.

Finally, because anyone can start their own cryptocurrency, there are a lot of pump-and-dump schemes in the crypto world. These are designed to attract attention and then quickly collapse as people rush to dump their investments. This has cost a lot of people their hard-earned money, and is a major reason why you should be wary of any coin that’s not backed by a well-known company or project.

All of these factors mean that while there are some security benefits to crypto, it’s still a very risky investment and one that shouldn’t be the focus of your retirement portfolio. With a little research and some basic precautions, you can help ensure that your investments are protected from bad actors, but don’t be afraid to invest in other assets as well. In the long run, diversifying your investments will be the best way to protect yourself from a big loss.