Stay Away from Fake Wallet Scams¶
A fake wallet is a working app wearing the name of one you trust. It does not need a flaw in the network. It needs one moment where you type your recovery phrase into something you did not verify.
Who this is for¶
Anyone about to install a wallet, reinstall one after changing phones, or follow a tutorial that links to a download.
How the scam works¶
The fake arrives through a channel that feels official. A search result marked as an ad. A video tutorial with the link in the description. A post from an account using the right logo. A message offering "the version that supports Bitgold". A store listing that copies the icon, the screenshots, and the description of the real app.
The setup flow is where it wins. A real wallet generates a phrase on your device or imports one you already hold, and that is the end of it. The fake asks you to "import and verify" an existing phrase, to "sync" a newly generated phrase to its server, or to finish a "migration" by pasting the phrase into a form. Some generate the phrase for you, which means the attacker generated it and already knows it.
Then it waits. Deposits look normal for a while, and a sweep moves everything out once the balance is worth taking. A variant skips the app: a website asks you to "validate" or "restore" a wallet, collects the phrase, and shows a balance while the funds leave.
The common thread is that the phrase leaves your device. A genuine wallet has no reason to receive it, and no support agent needs it.
Warning signs¶
- The download link came from a video description, an ad, a DM, or a search result rather than the vendor's own site.
- The app asks for your existing phrase during setup, "restoration", "migration", or "verification".
- The app offers to generate a phrase on a website instead of inside an installed application.
- The publisher on the listing is not the vendor, or the listing is new with a burst of identical reviews.
- The app requests permissions a wallet does not need, such as reading SMS or drawing over other apps.
- Someone offers to walk you through importing your wallet, step by step, in a chat.
If it happens to you¶
- Treat the phrase as exposed from the moment it was typed. Create a new wallet on a device you trust and move what remains.
- Revoke approvals held by the old address, because a drainer may keep an allowance open.
- Remove the app. On Android, check device administrator and accessibility settings. On iOS, remove any configuration profile you did not add.
- Report the listing to the store and the domain to its registrar. Tell the impersonated vendor through the vendor's official channel.
- Do not pay for "recovery". The funds moved to an address you do not control, and a confirmed transfer cannot be reversed.
Next steps¶
- How to Verify the Wallet App — the publisher, package, and domain checks.
- Phishing App Scam — store clones, sideloaded builds, and fake updates.
- Keep Your Keys Safe — a storage routine an app cannot undo.
Self-check¶
- Was your wallet installed from a link you typed yourself, or from one someone sent you?
- Can you name the publisher of the wallet on your phone right now?
- Have you ever entered a recovery phrase into an app to reach a wallet that already existed?
- Do you know what you would do in the first ten minutes after a phrase leak?