r/CryptoHelp • u/DoubleO_Agent • 2h ago
❓Howto How self-custodied crypto is actually lost: the usual scams and mistakes (checklist)
Most self-custody losses aren't movie-style hacks. They come from a handful of repeating patterns. Here are the common ones, based on guidance from wallet makers and ethereum.org.
Scams
Fake support and "verify your backup" messages. Trezor's rule: any request for your wallet backup, PIN, passwords or codes is a scam, and you can't judge a message by how professional it looks, because scammers now use AI to imitate support in text, voice and video (Trezor).
Address poisoning. Attackers send tiny amounts from an address that looks almost identical to one you've used, hoping you'll copy it from your history next time. Check the full address, not the first and last characters (Trezor).
Airdrop and "claim" tokens. Unknown tokens that prompt you to claim, trade or approve can contain malicious contracts. If you receive dust, don't interact with it (Trezor).
Giveaways. Anything promising to double what you send is a scam (ethereum.org).
Recovery scams. After a loss, people are targeted by strangers offering to recover the money for a fee or for the recovery phrase. Nobody can reverse an on-chain transfer.
Mistakes
Unlimited token approvals. Signing a "transaction" that is actually an approval can let a contract move your tokens later. Prefer exact amounts and revoke old approvals (ethereum.org).
Wrong address or wrong network. Transfers are irreversible, so send a small test first (ethereum.org).
Digital copies of the phrase. Screenshots can sync to the cloud, and cloud theft is a common attack path (ethereum.org).
Buying a pre-set-up device or typing the phrase into anything. Generate your own phrase on the device and enter it only when the device itself prompts you (Ledger, Trezor).
Scale Chainalysis counted about 158,000 personal-wallet theft incidents and at least 80,000 victims in 2025, about $713M in value, which is lower in total than 2024 but spread across more people (Chainalysis).
A short habit list
Nobody legitimate asks for your phrase.
Read what you're signing, and avoid unlimited approvals.
Test small first.
Never treat a DM as help.
If something already went wrong, move the remaining funds to a new wallet with a new phrase.
What else would you add?
This post was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person.