What you need to guard against when signing up for OKX is imitations of it: copies of its website, its app and its "support". The 7 steps below follow the order of sign-up, and each says what to check. The form-filling in step 3 follows OKX Help Center's registration guide.
- Enter only through
okx.com; check it once, then bookmark it. Install the app by following the official site's link to the App Store or Google Play, and check the developer name before installing. - Submit KYC documents only inside the official app or on the official site, never to any "support agent". OKX's Help Center states that official customer service will only contact users through the in-app voice function and will not proactively phone or text.
- After sign-up, turn on 2FA first (an authenticator app for preference) and the withdrawal address whitelist.
OKX sign-up in 7 steps, and what to check at each
The first two steps come before sign-up, steps 3 to 5 during it, and the last two after.
Step 1 · Enter through okx.com, check it, then bookmark it
Check the main domain and the ending in the address bar letter by letter against okx.com. Don't click links other people send and don't come in through a sponsored search result; use a bookmark or type the address by hand. Scam check: the domain and ending match, there are no extra words (login/vip/bonus), and no o has been swapped for a 0. If you're unsure, paste the address into the domain checker. Once it has checked out the first time, bookmark it and use only the bookmark from then on.
Step 2 · Install the app through the official site's link
Go first to the official site you checked in step 1 and follow the link on its download page to the App Store or Google Play. Don't search the store by name and install whatever comes up first, and check the developer name before you install. Scam check: don't install any "OKX" from a file, QR code or cloud drive that someone sends you, and don't believe in a "no-review build" or "special edition". With a counterfeit app installed, no security setting you make afterwards will help. How to recognize one is in fake crypto exchange apps.
Step 3 · Fill in the sign-up form and set a password you use nowhere else
For the Country/region field, OKX Help Center's registration guide says to select your residence country, and adds: "Don't select a country or region that doesn't match your actual residence to bypass an unavailable option." The same guide says both a phone number and an email address must be bound during registration (its FAQ adds that whether a mobile number is required depends on the registration options currently shown on the page), so have an email address and a phone number that can receive codes ready beforehand. Each code has to be entered within 10 minutes. Then set a password that is unique, long, and not reused from your email or social accounts. Scam check: the sign-up page must be on the okx.com domain you confirmed in step 1, and the codes you receive go into that page only. OKX's Help Center states that it will never ask for your password or verification codes, so stop as soon as anyone asks for a code, a password or a wallet seed phrase.
Step 4 · The referral code field (optional)
The Help Center's wording for this step is "insert Referral code (if any)", with a reminder to make sure the code is entered correctly during sign-up. The field can be left empty. This site takes part in OKX's referral program: if you sign up with OK1717, OKX may apply a trading-fee discount of up to 20%, subject to OKX's current terms, and this site may receive a referral commission (see our affiliate disclosure). Scam check: if someone says you can't register without the code they give you, or that after entering a code you must deposit to "activate" the account, treat it as a scam.
Step 5 · Complete identity verification (KYC)
Follow the on-screen prompts to upload your ID and do the face check. Scam check: submit KYC material only inside the official app or on the official site. Anyone who tells you to send ID photos or a selfie holding your ID to "support" or to a third-party site is running a scam.
Step 6 · Turn on 2FA (two-factor authentication)
Once the account exists, go to security settings and turn on 2FA. Use an authenticator app for preference and don't rely on SMS alone (text-message codes are exposed to SIM-swap attacks), and save offline the backup information shown when you link the app. Scam check: 2FA codes and backup information go to no one, including anyone claiming to be support.
Step 7 · Set a withdrawal address whitelist and keep the first transfer small
If the security settings offer a withdrawal address whitelist (withdrawals allowed only to addresses you saved in advance), turn it on. Make your first deposit and your first withdrawal with a small amount, to confirm that the address and network are right. Scam check: being told at withdrawal to "pay tax first", "pay a deposit" or "top up to unlock" is a scam.
A page headed "official download" or "latest version" proves nothing
What separates real from fake is whether the domain matches letter for letter, and whether the app was installed by following the official site's link to the app store. A page calling itself official, or an HTTPS padlock in the address bar, shows nothing.
Signing up for OKX on a phone, a computer or public Wi-Fi: what to watch
On a phone
- Install the app by following the link on okx.com to the App Store or Google Play, and check the developer name first.
- Grant only the permissions the app needs. If an exchange app asks to read your text messages or contacts, stop.
- Keep the authenticator app's backup information offline and separate; you will need it if you change or lose the phone.
- Don't reach the site by tapping search results in the phone's browser. Use the app or a bookmark.
On a computer
- Check the full domain letter by letter, bookmark it once confirmed, and use only the bookmark afterwards.
- Don't install browser extensions of unknown origin. A malicious extension can alter the page or the address you see.
- Download a desktop client only from the official site's download page, not from third-party software sites.
- On a public or borrowed computer, log out when you finish.
Public Wi-Fi, and proxy tools someone "guides" you to install
On public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports and similar places, avoid signing up, logging in or withdrawing. If you have to, switch to your own phone's mobile hotspot. If a "support agent" or "mentor" tells you to install a particular proxy or VPN "so the site works properly", don't: once it is installed, your traffic runs through a tool they chose. To reach the official site, the only thing to check is that the domain is okx.com.
Someone claiming to be OKX support contacts you first: is it real?
Going by what OKX itself says, no. OKX Help Center's guidance on phone scams states: "Official customer service will only contact users through the in-app voice function." It adds that OKX will not proactively reach out by phone call, SMS or any external platform, and will never ask for your password or verification codes. These are signs of fake support:
- They message you first, calling themselves "official support", an "account manager" or someone "here to activate your account".
- They use "account anomaly / risk control / deposit to unlock" as a reason to hurry you into a transfer or some other action.
- They steer you toward off-site links, groups or QR codes, or ask for codes, passwords or seed phrases.
- They manufacture urgency: "limited spots", "the account freezes if you don't act now".
With people like this: don't reply, don't click links, don't send money. If you need help, go back to the official site from your bookmark and use the support entry there. The settings to make before and after sign-up can be ticked off against the beginner crypto safety checklist.
Two questions about KYC and 2FA
Is it safe to send my ID to a support agent who offers to complete KYC for me?
No. Identity verification (KYC) is completed inside the official app or on the official site by following the on-screen prompts. It never goes through anyone's direct messages, a group chat or a third-party site. OKX's Help Center states that it will never ask for sensitive information such as passwords or verification codes. If someone asks you to send ID photos, a selfie holding your ID or a face video for faster verification or to lift a restriction, treat it as a scam.
Should 2FA use SMS or an authenticator app, and what if I lose or replace my phone?
Use an authenticator app for preference and don't rely on SMS alone: text-message codes can be intercepted or taken over through a SIM swap. Save the backup information shown when you link the authenticator offline, on paper or in a password manager. If you change or lose your phone, go through the recovery process in the official app or on the official site to link it again. Anyone who offers to turn off 2FA for you should be treated as fake support.
This site takes part in OKX's referral program: if you sign up with this code or through this link, this site may receive a referral commission. Any trading-fee discount is up to 20%, subject to OKX's current terms. OKX's services and referral terms differ by country, and some countries restrict referral incentives; check OKX's terms for where you live. Type the code into the referral field yourself. Sign up for OKX via the official channel
For the app install, and when "support" turns up
- Fake crypto exchange apps: before installing the app in step 2, see which channels counterfeit installers come through.
- How to tell if a crypto exchange is legit: where to look up a license and proof of reserves.