Bitcoin Forum

It is very common today to hear sad news from people about how they lose their funds but I am so sure that all the victims somehow made a mistake or do something very stupid that compromised the security of their funds.

Some people say that they are hacked and when they explain how the whole thing went you will found out that it's not a real hack but their own mistakes, it's either

•They fell for a phishing scam
•Clicked on bad malicious links
•Signed some weird transaction that leaks your private key

https://i.imgur.com/mSFBgFY.jpeg

The only thing that scammers are praying for is your mistake, they are hoping that you do something very stupid and dumb so that they can take advantage of your mistake.

My advice is don't do things that goes against the simple security measures of every crypto wallet, either crypto hardware wallet, PC crypto wallet or mobile crypto wallets, do not do the dumb things.

Example of mistakes and dumb things you can avoid
 
1. Don't give out your seed phrase and keys, no one should ever ask you for your seed phrase, if they do just block them instantly, if it's a website get out immediately.

2. Do not click on random links from DMs or download any files from DMs especially on telegram, discord and Twitter, also stop downloading torrent files they have malware most times.

3. Don't keep your crypto on an exchange, even if you are a daily trader you won't see any danger coming so always take out your profit and leave behind that little amount for trading, use 2FA authentication on your wallets and exchnages.

4. Do not use same password you are using on other websites on your exchange platforms, it is dumb, this days hackers get password hack easily.

5. Look into the wallet address you are sending coins to very well, avoid sending them to wrong addresses, nowadays hackers are used to keylogger attacks, the address you copied might change if your PC is infected.

Dumb things sometimes can happen due to careless approach to such incidents. Many users are fond of free airdrop or free money and they will give or try any process for it to work regardless whether there will be some consequence or even private info that will set them into a more dangerous situation. Avoid being like that and dont focus on free money online. Think that no one will give it for free instead.

The last sentence sounds very illogical.
How can people not do something that goes against all the rules if these are the people who do not know the rules themselves? Someone hurt themselves on purpose, knowing that something is wrong?
OP, if you want to prevent people from making mistakes, it would be helpful to make a complete guide on why and what not to do, etc.
Although such topics are posted here daily, they will have value not in general rules like "I warned you," but in the correct and accessible explanation of all the little things.

Adding links to the main topic will do the trick, as to prevent redundant topics that are likely to have no new information at all.

https://cryptosec.info/checklist

Sometimes you don't have to do stupid and dumb things for scammers to be able to take advantage of you, you may actually be thinking that you just made a smart move and without your knowledge, that smart move is a mistake you have made. Mistakes are not only made from dumb and stupid moves, but also from moves that you think are the smart ones to make, that is why we should always be cautious as OP says.

When the exchange sweeps a user's deposit wallet, it incurs a network fee and it is actually passed on to the user (accumulated on withdrawal fees, sometimes more). Imagine if the day trader made withdrawals every day. External danger is only a possibility, but exchange picking up user wealth by degrees is a certainty (because of your tip).

Caution is indeed very necessary in the Crypto world.
Lots of complaints I have received and read are things are should have commonly be avoided if the user actually have the idea or knowledge to that.
Lots of Newbies out their who are coming into crypto are being introduced by people who are just after what they are to gain, either by airdrop or any form of affiliated program, from this point lots of people create wallets without being taught of the security aspect and how to secure users phrase and most times out of ignorance we also ignore the warning the wallet owners gives out to us.

@Op talking about our common mistake I also came across few threads in this forum regarding clipboard virus where in some cases users don't even know how come about the virus into their system, why some said it was from the operating system which they recently installed, in cases like this will one say those victims where careless for not checking through his wallet line to line before authorizing transaction, or it was a mistake from the software provider

You should know in windows 10 default installed, they on it clipboard history, to know that you have to try ctrl+v, then you will know what going to happen. If it is on then you have to clear the clipboard data under the button.

you know, scammers will easy to find in what you have copied like private keys and passwords on the clipboard history on your PC when default on.

https://iili.io/HlTywUg.png (https://freeimage.host/)

When someone is stupid 🤪, that means they lack intelligence, and when one lacks intelligence, they are bound to make mistakes. IMO, the fact is that some people will always fall victim to these scammers. I was not aware of the clipboard virus that Nwada001 mentioned, until I came across the thread "Clipboard Virus," (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5410980.0) and then I realized that someone can copy his wallet address, which can automatically changes to a different address, so if the user is not smart enough to cross-check the wallet before sending out his or her crypto, vualah!, funds will be lost to a bug wallet.
While some are lucky that they had a handy teacher to put them through every step they needed to sail along the crypto space 🚀, we who learned on our own by just reading stuffs and watching videos made a few mistakes. OP, your thread is yet another reminder and warning for some crypto newbies.

Been cautious is not just about Bitcoin, it involves our day to day activities, we should be careful with the kind of people we associate with, be cautious of the way we talk and also the people we tell our deepest secret,

Digitally we should be cautious of the kind of personal information we give out to the people we meet online, the kind of links we click,

Don't fix your atm  card codes on any related links you see online without a proper verification so you won't be scammed,

This is actually a good content and I feel it's necessary to be said several times so anyone won't have an excuse for being scammed. Afterall, those set of dumb-asses ain't part of the forum to have learnt that it's not necessary to give out your keys to someone on the net, as a Nugget to get an aid on restoring data, encryption and also for whatsoever reasons it may have been.
We've been taught alot in here and the more peeps in here keep reading on informations like this, there are very slim chances of falling into a major SCAM, let's be careful!! It hurts when you get to loose some funds in the process of trying to gain some too.

Sandra 🧑‍🦰

A very insightful read indeed OP.
 One needs to always apply caution mostly with the way advancement in tech and development of smart AI and androids is rampant. In addition to your examples stated @OP,
- it is always better to log out of an exchange or app after using it.
- avoid saving passwords on your browser after logging in to an account.
- when too tired or stressed out, avoid performing transactions that require careful navigation, especially as regards to exchanges and during P2p or funding crypto wallets/accounts.

When handling crypto currency especially Bitcoin, we should always practice the safety precautions on how to avoid doing some mistakes plus mastering the art of security and privacy so that no one can touch your coins/investment. These common mistakes usually happens to newbies or to someone who does move without having a doubt or making it sure to double check everything before doing something.

The title should be applied everyday if you are a heavy trader or just make a secure cold wallet that you are the only one know the private key.

Wait, i know there are wallet draining smart contracts out there but you can just disconnect those sites from metamask.
But signing a message doesn't reveal your private key, at least i don't think so. Otherwise my accounts that i am still using have been more compromised then i thought.
Can someone more tech-savvy please weigh in about this?

It's impossible for active daily traders to do so.
If you're and active trader and you do tens or even hundreds of trades a day, if your strategy is scalp trading the return is in small percentages, you could be making $10 for the $1000, withdrawing the profit daily isn't minimizing the risk at all, it wold be just peanuts that are being eaten away by fees.

I know everyone is saying that you shouldn't keep your funds on an exchange, it's normal, coins or even $ you should not store them on a CEX, but active traders simply can't do this, it's a risk you have to assume if you want to make money this way.

This is a very basic knowledge every new trader in the cryptocurrency world needs to know before they even start to invest. If they miss out of this and give their security key out, then they’ll need a more proper orientation and enlightenment about the whole cryptocurrency market.


A very good point raised here OP. Although most exchanges have available 2FA verification before accessing them, but that is not a sure gateway that they’ll be no any form of attack to the exchange and your funds. The case of FTX should have thought a lesson by now not to leave all your funds in an exchange.

I agree with you, as far as I know there is no evidence of such a scam. To my knowledge, signing a message using a private key does not reveal the private key itself. If a private key could be revealed simply by signing a message, it would compromise the security of the entire system.

When we call mistakes very stupid and dumb, the presupposition is that the persons committing them are fully aware of what's right and wrong, proper and not, and the rest of the dos and don'ts in terms of Bitcoin security and the like. What is probably missed out is that not all who get into Bitcoin is mature enough in terms of knowledge to be able to fully protect themselves. Some may be stupid and dumb mistakes from the point of view of somebody who has already learned everything, but actually honest and innocent ones from somebody who had just started to learn it all.

This is good advice, but take not that copy-pasting private keys is a bad idea in the first place, even without a clipboard history saver. Well, unless the wallet you're trying to backup or import into another wallet is a hot wallet with minimal amounts of money.

Our daily existence should include exercising caution.

Therefore, one should always be on the lookout and wary. Never assume you know everything there is to know, and never let your caution lapse since you never know when danger may strike.

Otherwise, you risk becoming your partner's victim.

Clipboard history has nothing to do with clipboard viruses. When I came across the clipboard virus thread, I tested things with my old PC, and I noticed that my system was also a victim. My clipboard history is always off, and nothing is being copied from there to the hackers. If your system is infected by this virus and you try to copy your address, the virus will automatically change it to that of the hacker's without your knowledge, and if you are not careful enough to cross-check your address before sending your transaction, you will end up sending your funds to the hacker's address without even knowing. To my knowledge, the best way to avoid this type of virus is to always purchase software from direct and licensed sources. All of this third-party software is always open, or should I say it comes with various radom viruses? 

What happens if you accidentally click on link?  Wouldn't you still need to open the file?


What if you have anti virus like norton or kaspersky?  But windows defender not good enough?

One small mistake can lead to big loss for an investor or holder. So caution should be exercised when dealing with Bitcoin or other cryptos. Some times we are trying to keep our key in online platform for safety. We think kept these keys are safe enough but later hackers can steal it by hacking the online platform. So to keep your wallet safe, you need to keep your device safe. Your crypto will never be hacked or stolen unless your key and device are affected by malware or others. So should be treat security issues with caution. Many of us use the same password on different platforms to remember passwords, which should be avoided early.