Decentralised finance protocols are stepping away from public Discord servers, citing persistent phishing and scam activity that targets users seeking support.
The shift gained attention after DeFi lending protocol Morpho moved its public Discord to read-only mode and redirected users to alternative help channels.
Builders say Discord has increasingly become a liability rather than a community hub due to its difficulty to secure against impersonation and direct-message scams.
Morpho co-founder Merlin Egalite said the decision was difficult but necessary as users continued to be targeted despite heavy moderation efforts.
Morpho has been testing structured tools such as ticketed help desks and AI-assisted support to improve user protection and response efficiency.
DefiLlama founder 0xngmi said the platform has reduced its reliance on Discord in favour of live chat and email tickets to better safeguard users.
“Even if you ban scammers instantly, they still DM users directly to scam them,”
Oxngmi said.
Industry figures argue that always-on chat rooms prioritise engagement over safety and offer little value compared with clear documentation and structured support.