Dead Crypto Exchange: What Happens When a Platform Dies and How to Avoid It

When a dead crypto exchange, a cryptocurrency trading platform that has shut down, been hacked, or lost user trust permanently. Also known as a failed crypto exchange, it leaves users with no access to funds, no customer support, and often no legal recourse. This isn’t rare. In the last five years, over 100 exchanges have vanished—some from hacks, others from fraud, and many because they were never legitimate to begin with. The dead crypto exchange isn’t just a cautionary tale; it’s a recurring pattern you can learn to recognize and avoid.

What makes an exchange die? It usually starts with one of three things: poor security, no real business model, or outright scams. Take WazirX, a major Indian exchange that suffered a $230 million hack in 2022 and never fully recovered user trust. Or Bitsonic, a Korean-only exchange with no English support, no mobile app, and zero transparency for international users. These weren’t flukes—they were predictable failures. When an exchange hides its team, doesn’t list major coins, or has zero trading volume, it’s already on life support. You don’t need a PhD in blockchain to spot this. Just ask: Would I trust this with my money if it were a bank?

And then there are the fake ones—the ones that never existed beyond a website and a Twitter account. Look at Hot Cross (HOTCROSS), a token that crashed 99.98% from its peak, got suspended on KuCoin, and now has zero trading volume. Scammers still run fake airdrops claiming it’s active. Same with Zenith Coin (ZENITH), whose last airdrop ended in 2020 but still has scam sites popping up in 2025. These aren’t just dead exchanges—they’re digital graveyards with new signs being planted every week. The real danger isn’t just losing money. It’s losing time, trust, and the belief that crypto can be safe.

So what’s left? You need to know the signs before you deposit a single dollar. No KYC? Red flag. No public team? Red flag. No liquidity on major pairs? Big red flag. If the exchange doesn’t show up on CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap with real volume, it’s not a platform—it’s a waiting room for a collapse. And when it goes, there’s no FDIC, no refund, no lawyer who can help. The blockchain doesn’t forget. But the people behind these platforms? They disappear.

Below, you’ll find real cases of exchanges that died, tokens that vanished with them, and the scams that still crawl out of the wreckage. These aren’t hypotheticals. These are the names you should never type into your browser again. Learn from what went wrong. Because the next dead crypto exchange? It’s already live—and it’s waiting for someone to click.