Crypto rug pulls destroyed $1.8 billion in investor funds during 2025, a figure that excludes the contested Mantra OM collapse, according to DappRadar and CoinLaw tracking data. The frequency dropped by 66% compared to 2024, but individual scams got bigger and more sophisticated. MetaYield Farm alone vanished with $290 million in February 2025, and 70% of all victims were retail investors putting in less than $10,000 each. The pattern is consistent across every cycle. Scammers build trust, create urgency, then drain liquidity while holders realize they cannot sell.

The good news is that almost every rug pull leaves warning signs before it happens, and the five red flags covered here catch roughly 90% of them if you check before you…