How This Web3 Gamer Loses Crypto Life Savings to Compromised Software
After cleaning his computer and feeling reassured, he received notifications from all his primary wallets, only to discover that all his funds had been depleted.
A Portuguese web3 enthusiast lost his entire crypto net worth which he noted as his life savings, amounting to $20k, in a hack. The victim, a software developer, shared his journey into the world of crypto and ultimately fell victim to a cracked software scam.
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What happened?
In an X thread, @LeevaiNFT shared how he delved into the world of crypto with enthusiasm as he recounted his journey from a software developer to an avid participant in the crypto landscape. According to him, he was drawn into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance (DeFi), and blockchain gaming, excited by the potential for financial growth and technological innovation.
He shared that his journey into the web3 space was initially fueled by endorsements from influential figures in the crypto community. Trusting these endorsements, he ventured further into the crypto world, engaging in airdrops, exploring new projects, and investing in promising tokens.
“Never considered buying a hardware wallet because every project I was involved with had trouble at some point dealing with them. I was using hot wallets: [Metamask] for ETH, BNB and [Polygon], [Phantom] for [Solana], and [Binance] as my bank,” he stated.
He revealed being a victim of a hack that cost him 2.4 ETH or $8.5k. Since then, he vowed to never sign anything without thorough research beforehand and even heightened security on his assets. However, he still met his downfall when he fell victim to a cracked software scam that wiped out his entire crypto net worth, amounting to $20,000.
He recounted working on a project with a cracked version of Photoshop CS6 portable, finding it effective yet inefficient for pixel animations; he then discovered Aseprite, a more efficient tool. According to him, he tried downloading the trial version but faced limitations, and with resolute in his decision to use it, he sought out a cracked version and ran it, assuming it posed no threat.
Even so, after cleaning his computer and feeling reassured, he received notifications from all his primary wallets, only to discover that all his funds had been depleted.
“Not a lot of money for many, but for me, it is, considering I live in Portugal. It was my ENTIRE life savings and the money I used to generate more money by participating in web3 opportunities,” he wrote.
Tips to Protect Digital Assets
Following this incident, X user @XavOppa shared four tips on how to safeguard assets against these kinds of schemes.
Invest in a hardware wallet.
A hardware wallet is a physical device designed to securely store your cryptocurrency offline. This offers an extra layer of protection against online threats.
[Do] not to click on any links or open attachments without caution on any sites/emails.
Exercise caution when encountering links or email attachments, as they may contain malware or phishing attempts. Avoid clicking on them unless you are certain of their legitimacy.
[Do] not to give out any personal info to anyone especially if you use OTP.
Be cautious about sharing personal information, especially when prompted for sensitive details like OTP (One-Time Passwords). Scammers may use this information to gain unauthorized access to your accounts.
[Do] not to connect your wallets for free things.
Avoid connecting your wallets to unfamiliar or untrusted platforms offering free incentives or giveaways. These could be scams designed to compromise your wallet security and steal your funds. Always verify the legitimacy of such offers before engaging with them.
Other Guides
- How to Protect Your Bitcoin Assets from Fraud
- 6 Essential Security Tips for Protecting Your Crypto Assets
- How to Protect your Ronin Wallet, Axies, and Axie Infinity Account | Philippines Guide
- How To Protect Your Cryptocurrency From Sim Swap Fraud
- How to Protect your Private Keys
- Four Tips for NFT Artists To Protect Themselves from Hacking and Online Theft
This article is published on BitPinas: How This Web3 Gamer Loses Crypto Life Savings to Compromised Software
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