HOW TO PREVENT ACCOUNT HIJACKING

MichaelK.eth
Partnership Director at Wallet Guard

Prevent Account Hijacking

There are multiple methods that scammers can use to hijack your account. Learn how to prevent these types of scenarios with our comprehensive breakdown on the latest methods.

There is a spike in users getting a phone call from Apple claiming there is an issue with your account & that you have been sent a verification code to your phone so they can assist.

That verification code which comes as a text message gives an attacker access to your Apple ID/iCloud account as they already know your email, phone number, etc. due to your information already being leaked on the dark web.

It is a very simple method to socially engineer you or one of your family members into giving full access to your account!

There are multiple issues:

❌ you may have a full backup of your phone to your iCloud which they can restore from
❌ you may have emailed, sent in an iMessage, any digital format etc. sensitive information about yourself, accounts, etc.
❌ you may have your seed/keys/backup codes in your notes app which syncs to your iCloud which you just gave them access to

People have not only had their accounts but multiple wallets & assets compromised & drained. this is extremely unfortunate.. but the only way to protect against this is to be proactive about our security.

THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE HERE THAT APPLIES FOR BOTH WEB2 & WEB3 IS TO GO TO THE SOURCE..

If you are contacted by:

▶️ apple/microsoft
▶️ fedex/amazon
▶️ phone/cellular/tv/internet provider
▶️ antivirus/it company
▶️ streaming services
▶️ bank/crypto exchange/insurance
▶️ the president himself/the irs
▶️ the latest game beta test
▶️ forbes magazine/any interview
▶️ ANYONE CLAIMING TO BE ANYONE

Through any means:

▶️ phone call
▶️ text message
▶️ direct message
▶️ social network
▶️ email
▶️ ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION

Assume that it is 99.9% a scam, do not continue to engage whoever they claim they are by however they contacted you, and instead.. ⬇️

GO TO THE SOURCE! ✅

EXAMPLE 1
You get an email from your bank or exchange about an issue or fraudulent charge on your account, DO NOT entertain the requests or links supposably from your bank/exchange/investment account, instead go DIRECTLY to the website yourself & sign in to check if the claim is true!

EXAMPLE 2
You place an order on Amazon (or let's say you haven't even placed an order on Amazon at all!) & you get a phone call or text message about an issue with the order or that someone made an order on your account.. DO NOT entertain the phone call or links supposably from wherever you placed the order, instead go DIRECTLY to the website yourself & sign in to check if the claim is true!

Think of all the scams that could be prevented if this information was digested & shared with friends & family..

Let's be proactive & cognizant to not only save ours & our families hard earned money.. but also to save ourselves from the stress of dealing with all these constant scams. 🫂

Scams will NEVER go away but with this knowledge we CAN PROTECT OURSELVES.

Want to protect your crypto? Be sure to check out the Wallet Guard Browser Extension, a free open-source browser extension built to add an additional security layer to your existing wallet of choice!

Published on
March 26, 2024

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