Crypto Wallet Seed-Phrase Phishing
A message or fake wallet page asks you to 'verify,' 'validate,' or 'restore' your wallet by entering your 12–24 word recovery phrase — which hands over every coin instantly.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
You are prompted — by email, DM, pop-up, or a fake wallet-support site — to enter your recovery (seed) phrase to validate, sync, restore, or unlock your wallet. Your seed phrase is the master key to all your crypto; anyone who has it can drain the wallet immediately and irreversibly. No legitimate wallet or support ever asks for your seed phrase. This is one of the most devastating crypto scams.
What it usually looks like
- A prompt to enter your 12/24-word recovery phrase to 'verify' or 'restore.'
- A fake wallet-support site or pop-up.
- A DM offering to 'fix' a wallet problem.
- Urgency about a sync error or security update.
Common warning signs
- Anyone or any site asking for your recovery/seed phrase.
- A 'wallet validation,' 'sync,' or 'migration' that needs your phrase.
- Support that reached out to you.
- Pressure to act before you 'lose access.'
Example wording scammers use
“Wallet sync error detected. Restore access by entering your 12-word recovery phrase.”
“Validate your wallet to keep it compatible with the new update — enter your seed phrase here.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Your recovery/seed phrase.
- Instant, irreversible control of your crypto.
- Nothing else — the phrase is everything.
What to do
- Never type your recovery phrase into any website, app prompt, or message.
- Keep your seed phrase offline and private, always.
- Ignore any 'validate/restore/sync' request for your phrase.
- Use a hardware wallet and bookmark official sites.
What to do if you already responded
- Assume the wallet is compromised; move any remaining funds to a brand-new wallet with a fresh phrase, from a clean device.
- Report to ic3.gov and reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Warn others; the loss is usually irreversible.