After the Binance Hack, Watch for Fake Refund and “Safe Wallet” Messages

The short version: Binance, an app for buying and storing crypto (digital money), says an attacker took crypto from it, but users’ money is safe and it will cover losses. Watch for fake “Binance” messages that offer a refund or ask you to move money to a “safe wallet”. Binance says it will never contact you on unofficial channels to ask you to send crypto to an address.

A phone with a message bubble showing a crossed-out return arrow and an amber shield: ignore fake refund offers.

What happened

On 29 October 2026, Binance said it was dealing with a security problem. The next day it said an attacker had taken crypto from it.

Binance first said the attack may have started with one employee’s laptop, but it now says its investigation has found other points of breach. It estimates the impact at about $6.3 billion, with about $3 billion frozen (blocked so it cannot be moved).

Withdrawals (taking money out) were paused after the attack. On 1 November, Binance started to bring them back in phases, a few coins and networks at a time, starting with Bitcoin. It says it will add more as its security checks are completed. To see if you can withdraw your coin, check its withdrawal page in the Binance app or on binance.com.

Update, 1 Nov: Binance says it has now covered about 95% of what was stolen, and that users will not bear the loss. Binance says it will never contact you through unofficial channels to offer a way to “unlock” your account, or to ask you to send crypto to any address. Its support team never contacts you first by phone or on social media. So if someone calls or messages you on social media in Binance’s name to offer a “refund”, “compensation” or help to “unlock your funds”, treat it as a scam.

Who is affected

People with a Binance account.

What we do not know yet

  • Who did it.
  • Whether fake refund messages are being sent. We found no official report, but scammers often use big news like this.

Do this today (6 minutes)

  1. Ignore “refund” and “safe wallet” links (1 minute). Binance says it will never contact you on unofficial channels to ask you to send crypto to an address.
  2. Our advice: say no to sign-in requests you did not start (1 minute). If your phone asks you to approve a Binance sign-in, or to use your passkey (your fingerprint, face or phone lock), and you are not signing in right now, say no. Our passkeys guide: https://safeinai.com/2026/10/25/passkeys/
  3. Go to Binance yourself (1 minute). Use the official app or type binance.com.
  4. Hang up on “Binance support” calls (1 minute). Binance says anyone calling and claiming to be from Binance is a scammer.
  5. Our advice: if you shared a password or code, change your Binance password now (1 minute).
  6. Optional (1 minute). Binance Verify (binance.com/official-verification) checks whether a link, email, phone number or social media account belongs to Binance.

To report a scam to Binance: in the Binance app or on binance.com, open Binance Support and ask to file a scam report. Binance’s guide: How to Report Scams on Binance Support. If you lost money or shared details, report it in the US at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, 101. Getting money back is not guaranteed.

Sources

Checked: 1 Nov 2026, 12:18 Paris time, against Binance statements up to 1 Nov, 12:15 Paris time. This entry will change if Binance publishes more. Our disclosure: SafeinAI has no affiliate links and earns nothing from the sites or tools named on this page. If this ever changes we will say so here, on this page.

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