Not every theft involves a fake broker. Some of the fastest losses come from a drained wallet. Three mechanisms account for most of them, and each has a simple defence.
Your seed phrase is the keys to the vault
Anyone with your 12 or 24 recovery words owns your wallet completely. No legitimate support team, airdrop or “wallet sync” page will ever ask for it. Never type it into a website, never store it in a photo or cloud note, and treat any request for it as an attack.
Token approvals can quietly hand over your funds
When you connect a wallet to a dApp, you may grant it permission to move specific tokens. Malicious sites request unlimited approvals and then sweep your balance later. Review and revoke approvals regularly using a reputable approval-checker, and be cautious with any “claim” or “mint” that asks you to sign an unfamiliar transaction.
SIM-swaps turn your phone number against you
If an attacker convinces your carrier to move your number to their SIM, they intercept SMS codes and reset your accounts. Use app-based or hardware two-factor authentication instead of SMS, and add a port-out PIN with your mobile provider. A phone that suddenly loses all signal can be the first sign.
Good habits, briefly
- Hardware wallet for anything significant.
- Seed phrase offline, on paper or metal, never digital.
- App-based 2FA, carrier port-out PIN.
- Revoke stale token approvals; bookmark dApps rather than following links.
These take an afternoon to set up and close the doors that most wallet drainers walk through.
Think you have been targeted? IntelliCtech traces stolen crypto on-chain and helps victims pursue recovery. Submit your case for a free review, browse our recovery case studies, or search the Blacklisted Brokers database.