Wallet Safety
Wallet Safety
It's extremely easy to get caught up in things and forget about safety but this is the most crucial part of keeping your collection and crypto safe.
Let's start with the basics, every ETH wallet has a seed phrase. What's a seed phrase? A seed phrase essentially guarantees you entry to your account, this phrase can never be changed. NEVER SHARE YOUR SEED PHRASE WITH ANYONE. regardless of status. This is the #1 rule to keeping yourself safe.
There are 2 other ways to externally access or import full control of your MetaMask account
Seed Phrase
Private Key
Private Key QR Code
All three of these can be found within your MetaMask settings. DO NOT SHARE THESE EVER. I DO NOT CARE WHO IT IS. Anybody with 1 of those 3 items can have full access to your MetaMask. This means they have the ability to transfer all the NFTs and ETH you own. Protect these 3 things with your life.
Now, you need to have your seed phrase WRITTEN DOWN. Your only way to backup your cryptocurrencies if something were to arise is with your seed phrase or the items mentioned above. Remember, devices can be hacked, paper can not. The best suggestion that most people take is to keep this phrase locked in a safe.
Now that you understand the basic ways to protect your seed phrase, we can introduce the Ledger hardware wallet. Only purchase a Ledger from the official site NOT on Amazon or eBay etc. The sole purpose of this device is to keep access to your cryptocurrencies completely offline. You WILL need one of these eventually, to better understand the importance of a Ledger and why you'll need AT LEAST 2. Read this:
https://www.ledger.com/academy/how-to-make-sure-that-my-crypto-stays-safe-with-ledger
The brightest people in this community can be scammed, you're not safe unless you're educated on staying safe. There are always fake accounts on discord or Twitter claiming to be somebody else, I don't care if God himself messages you, stay away from these accounts no matter how many followers they may have.
NEVER SHARE YOUR SCREEN. NOBODY NEEDS TO SEE YOUR SCREEN. You could easily share your QR code through a screen share session and be scammed this way. Now to recap
Never share your Secret Phrase
Never share your private key
Never share your Private Key QR Code
Never share your screen
Watch for fake MetaMask support accounts or other fake accounts
Never fill out Google forms asking for your seed phrase
Ledger
Do not click on your suspicious links you are not 100% sure about
Do not go through with a signature request through a website that you are not 100% sure is legit, and if you are unsure sign in on a burner metamask account
Discord is where you will likely get the most scam DMS, here are some typical types of people scammers will impersonate:
NFT Twitter influencer
NFT Project founders
Celebrities
NFT Project Mods
Developers
If you are unsure whether an account is a scam or not make sure to DM their official Twitter.
Next, DO NOT EVER CLICK ON RANDOM LINKS. If somebody DMS you a link or posts a link into a general chat you're unsure about DO NOT CLICK IT. Links can lead to you signing/connecting your MetaMask to a scammer.
Now that you understand basic wallet and some general safety tips slowly take your time in the world of NFTS. Things move extremely fast and it's unbelievably easy to get caught up in the FOMO make sure you DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!
Useful Links →https://www.ledger.com/ | https://cryptosteel.com/
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