Running a site costs money. We think you have a right to know how ScamLens keeps the lights on, so here it is in the open: we're an OKX referral partner. Below we explain what that actually means, whether it affects you, and why we don't think it conflicts with doing honest scam-awareness work. We also disclose it this way because U.S. law expects it—more on that next.
Why this disclosure exists (the FTC rules)
Required by the FTC's endorsement guides (16 CFR Part 255)
Under the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising—16 CFR Part 255—when there's a "material connection" between a publisher and a brand (such as earning a commission), that connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Our financial relationship with OKX is exactly that kind of connection, so we state it plainly here and label our OKX links as sponsored. We'd tell you regardless—but it's also the law, and we'd rather over-disclose than leave you guessing.
What our relationship with OKX is
ScamLens is an affiliate (referral) partner of OKX. Two things to be clear about:
We are not OKX, and we are not affiliated with OKX
ScamLens is an independently operated scam-awareness site. We are not OKX's official website, not a subsidiary of OKX, and we do not speak on OKX's behalf. The only thing between us and OKX is a referral partnership. Anyone impersonating "OKX official" or DMing you and charging fees in OKX's name is not us—and is very likely a scam.
How we earn from it
When you sign up for OKX through our official registration link and then trade on OKX, we may receive a portion of the trading fees from OKX (commonly called a referral commission). To put it more plainly:
- This share comes out of a portion of the trading fees OKX was already going to charge, and it adds nothing to your cost.
- It doesn't change your fee rate—what you pay in fees has nothing to do with whether you used our link.
- What we receive is a commission share; we don't see and don't need your account, password, or funds—none of your personal information.
Simply put: you don't pay a cent more by signing up through us, and we can earn a small service fee to keep the site running. That's also why we can keep our content free for everyone, charge no membership fees, and sell no "insider signals."
What's in it for you: a 20% fee discount
It isn't one-directional. We pass part of what a referral partner could otherwise keep back to you: sign up for OKX with our invite code OK1717 and get a 20% discount on your trading fees. To be clear about exactly what that is—
- It's a discount on trading fees: the fee you pay on each trade is reduced by a percentage, saved directly in your own account.
- It is not an investment return and not a cash-back bonus, and certainly not "deposit money for interest"—anyone framing a "rebate" as guaranteed profit is a reason to raise your guard (see the next section).
- The discount rate is provided by OKX and may change with official policy; OKX's terms govern. The invite code is bound at the moment of signup and usually can't be added later, so remember to enter
OK1717when you register.
This is a different thing from "recruit-and-rebate" schemes
This matters, because scammers love to make hay out of the word "rebate." Our kind of "exchange trading-fee share" is fundamentally different from a Ponzi-style "recruit people for a rebate":
| Legit exchange fee share (what we do) | Ponzi-style recruit-and-rebate (a scam) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the money comes from | A portion of fees from the exchange's real business | Later joiners' principal—robbing Peter to pay Paul |
| Cost to you | Adds nothing to your cost | Usually requires you to deposit / pay in first |
| Must you recruit downline? | No—you just use the exchange normally | Forces you to keep recruiting, with tiered cuts |
| Promised returns | No return promised; trading gains/losses are yours | Promises "guaranteed," "high rebate," "passive income" |
Any so-called "rebate" that asks you to "deposit first, recruit people, earn guaranteed high returns"—treat it as a scam, plain and simple. It's nothing like a legit exchange's referral partnership. See high-rebate / recruit-and-pyramid scams.
Does the referral relationship affect our content?
No. This is the line we draw for ourselves:
Independence is what we stand on
We will not hide any exchange's risks because we have a referral partnership, and we won't overstate any platform's upsides because of it either. A scam-awareness site that can't even hold that line has no reason to exist. We recommend reputable major exchanges and official channels because that's genuinely our honest advice to newcomers—it happens not to conflict with our income, not the other way around.
Always confirm the official domain
However you reach OKX, be sure to confirm the official domain okx.com, and don't click "login links" or "backup URLs" a stranger sends you. Phishing clones win precisely by getting newcomers to walk through the wrong door on step one—we cover this in detail in phishing clone sites and fake exchanges.
To trade, start from the official channel
If you're planning to start trading, we recommend signing up directly through a reputable major exchange's official channel—don't gamble on search ads and links strangers send you. OKX is one of the mainstream exchanges, reachable through the official registration link below; its official domain is okx.com.
To learn who we are and how we verify content, see About Us and How We Verify.