Recommendation

Avoid

Overall Summary

Suspicious

Why we think so

Poloniex.com is a cryptocurrency exchange that has been active since 2014. It ranks around #91,000 globally by traffic, with approximately 400,000 monthly visits mostly from Russia and nearby countries. The site uses reputable technologies like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud for hosting and email. However, Poloniex has faced multiple security breaches, including a $132 million hack in 2023, and regulatory actions such as a $10 million SEC settlement for operating an unregistered exchange. User reviews frequently report frozen funds, poor customer service, and accusations of fraud. Official warnings from regulators like the UK FCA advise caution or avoidance. Given these factors, significant risks exist in using Poloniex, despite its established presence and technological infrastructure.

Confidence Score

33%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Security Breaches Pose Major Risk

$132M hack in 2023 caused large user losses.

Repeated security incidents reduce trust.

Security efforts insufficient to prevent breaches.

⚖️

Regulatory Penalties and Warnings

$10M SEC settlement for unregistered exchange.

$7.5M OFAC fine for sanctions violations.

UK FCA warns consumers to avoid Poloniex.

👎

User Experience Concerns

Frequent reports of frozen funds and poor support.

Multiple accusations of fraudulent behavior.

Low customer ratings across review sites.

Contradictory Signals

Technical infrastructure looks sound, but legal and customer trust issues present serious concerns.

Signal A: Legitimate technology and traffic indicators

Signal B: Poor regulatory and user reputation

Category Scores

Identity 40/100

Reputation 15/100

Technical 70/100

Content 60/100

Legal 20/100

Business Validity 25/100

Red Flags & Warnings

Multiple severe security breaches led to large user losses, including a recent $132 million hack.
Poloniex faced major regulatory penalties for operating an unregistered exchange and sanctions violations.
User complaints about frozen funds, poor customer service, and fraud allegations are frequent and consistent.
Domain WHOIS privacy protection limits transparency on ownership and accountability.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain Technical Infrastructure

Score: 80/100

Passed

"The platform employs widely trusted technologies including Amazon Route 53, Amazon SES for email, and Cloudflare CDN. This supports technical stability and mitigates some risks."

Reason: Poloniex uses major cloud and hosting services such as Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, and Cloudflare, indicating reliable technical infrastructure.

Traffic and User Base Analysis

Score: 70/100

Passed

"Global rank is ~91,000 with a bounce rate of around 37%. User engagement metrics are reasonable, but regional concentration introduces some geographical risk."

Reason: The domain has consistent monthly traffic (~400K visits) with primary users in Russia and neighboring countries, indicating an active but regionally concentrated audience.

Ownership and Domain Age

Score: 40/100

Failed

"Registrant details show protection service in the UK, with no direct owner named—common practice but lowers trust indicators for identity verification."

Reason: Domain registered in 2014 but ownership masked by an identity protection service, reducing transparency.

Blacklist and Scam Detection

Score: 85/100

Passed

"No indicators of domain hosting phishing or malware detected by these services, reducing immediate technical risk."

Reason: Currently no listings on major crypto scam or Google Safe Browsing blacklists.

Trademark and Brand Safety

Score: 100/100

Passed

"No conflicting trademarks indicate no known brand impersonation risk in USPTO registry."

Reason: No USPTO trademark conflicts or impersonations found for poloniex.com.

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

Score: 20/100

Failed

"Recent SEC and OFAC penalties total over $17 million. Such actions indicate significant compliance failures and legal risks."

Reason: Poloniex has settled multiple major enforcement actions for unregistered operations and sanctions violations, highlighting regulatory non-compliance.

User Reviews and Reputation

Score: 15/100

Failed

"Regulatory warnings and user reviews consistently describe Poloniex as risky or fraudulent, suggesting a poor user trust profile."

Reason: User complaints abound regarding frozen funds, scams, and poor support. Ratings are low across multiple platforms.

Your Next Steps

1

Avoid transferring funds to Poloniex.com due to ongoing security and regulatory risks.
2

If you hold assets on Poloniex, prioritize withdrawing them carefully and monitor for suspicious activity.
3

Consider alternatives regulated by top-tier authorities with transparent compliance.
4

Consult trusted legal or financial advisors before engaging with cryptocurrency exchanges with negative reports.
5

Stay updated on regulatory announcements related to Poloniex for future changes in status.

Evidence & Citations

Poloniex Incident Analysis and User Loss Reports
Detailed analysis of security incidents and financial losses reported by users.
Poloniex SEC Settlement Announcement
Official regulatory settlement information regarding unregistered exchange operation.
UK FCA Warning Against Poloniex
Public warning advising consumers to avoid Poloniex due to lack of authorization.
Technical and Traffic Analysis by SimilarTech
Details on website technologies and traffic metrics.

🕵🏻 Keep investigating

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