Verifying "Support" Contacts Has Become Normal — When Did That Happen?

A few days ago I got a random DM from someone claiming to be BYDFi support. It wasn't aggressive or scammy, just a polite "I can help if needed." A year ago I would have replied. Now I verify first.

I didn't plan for this to become a habit — it happened slowly as fake "admins" and "help desks" started showing up in Telegram and Discord groups. Some of them look extremely real: copied bios, real logos, even urgent messages about accounts being "restricted."

At some point, I started doing a 30-second check before engaging. Not because I'm paranoid, but because one click can derail your day.

With BYDFi specifically, I've gotten used to checking through their official verification page, mostly because it sits in the background and doesn't demand attention.

The interesting part for me isn't the verification itself, but that it has quietly become normal behavior for crypto users.

I'm curious how others handle this.

Do you verify DMs? Ignore them? Or avoid trading groups entirely?