Non-negotiables
The rules that keep it yours
Crypto transfers cannot be reversed and there is no fraud department. Almost every loss traces back to breaking one of these ten lines.
Never
- Never type, photograph, email or read out your 12 or 24 recovery words. Not to support, not to a website, not to a friend of a friend.
- Never pay anyone who promises to recover lost or stolen crypto. That promise is the scam.
- Never install remote-access software or share your screen with someone who contacted you.
- Never trust a search-engine advert for a wallet or exchange. Type the address or use a bookmark.
- Never let an unexpected 'deadline' rush you into a transfer.
Always
- Always send a tiny test amount before a large transfer, and check the network matches.
- Always keep a small amount of the network's own coin so you can pay fees to move tokens later.
- Always store recovery words on paper or metal, offline, in two separate places.
- Always use a hardware wallet once the amount matters to you.
- Always verify the first four and last four characters of a pasted address.
If you have already been scammed
Stop all contact with the person involved and do not pay anything further to "unlock" or "release" funds. Save every message, address and transaction link, report it to your national fraud or police reporting line, and tell the exchange involved if one was used. Move anything still in your control to a brand-new wallet immediately.
Open the wallet workbook