The leaks · 38 / 86 · 2 min
Scams
Anything can be a scam, because a bad actor only needs you to trust the costume. The test is short enough to use today.
Anything can be a scam. The test is the ask, not the logo.
A worked case
A message uses a real company's name and a real person's photo. It asks for a seed to protect the account. The costume was perfect. The ask was the theft. Stopping at the seed was the whole defence.
The test
Stop if you see urgency, secrecy, or a request to reveal the seed or send money first. One is a reason to slow down. Two is a reason to leave. A famous face does not cancel the test.
Usual shapes
- Fake support that moves you into a chat.
- A site one letter off, opened from an ad.
- Send some first, and they will double it.
- A long friendship that becomes an investment.
- A second thief who promises to recover the loss.
The verified accounts, and the seed that never belongs in a chat
On 15 July 2020, bitcoin addresses appeared on the Twitter accounts of famous people, with a promise to double what you sent. The platform was compromised. The promise was the oldest trick in money. People sent coins because the badge was real and the hurry was built into the tweet. The FBI and the platform's own account of the breach are the record. The coins were not doubled. An irreversible payment does not care that you were lied to by a blue check.
The quieter version is support. A freeze, a stuck mint, a job offer, or a moderator moves you to a private chat and asks for a seed, a code, or a screen share. The 2020 Ledger customer leak fed years of that kind of contact, because the sender knew you owned a wallet. Real support does not need the seed. The seed is the whole wallet, every account it can derive, forever.
Anything can wear a costume. The test is short because the ask is short. Urgency, secrecy, a seed, or send some first is enough to stop. You do not need to win an argument with the message.
Read it yourself
These links are the record. They are not a recommendation, and they are not instructions. A news story or a court paper can still be wrong about a detail. The check does not change because a famous name is in the story.
Apply the check
Open a question. The line is about this topic. It is not a verdict that anything is safe.
The person who receives the seed or the deposit.
They invent a deadline so you do not read.
You, if you send it. They cannot take a seed you do not type.
Check yourself
Does a famous face cancel the test?
No. Urgency, secrecy, or a seed request still stands.
After this you can hold a message up to the test and refuse it the same day.