07/14/2026
A fake support number, a seed phrase, and more than $1.5 million gone.
An investor wanted to stake their crypto and searched online for a support phone number. The number they found was one of many planted across sites that collect referral fees for feeding callers into a scam operation.
The person who answered took a few details and issued a reference number to make the call feel official. Within five minutes, a "specialist" called back using an alias.
The playbook from there:
1. The scammer claimed staking required a new software wallet and walked the victim through creating one from an emailed link.
2. The hook: the victim's hardware wallet was supposedly out of date and their funds were "at risk."
3. The victim was asked to retrieve their recovery seed phrase and type it into a twelve-word entry screen, framed as a routine transfer to the new wallet.
Minutes later, more than $1.5 million in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets moved to wallets the scammers controlled.
Three points worth repeating to every client:
• No legitimate platform, wallet provider, or support rep will ever ask for your seed phrase. Not to stake, not to update firmware, not to "protect" your funds.
• A hardware wallet only protects keys that never leave the device. Typing the seed phrase into any screen defeats it entirely.
• Phone numbers pulled from search results are not verified. Go directly to the official website or app.
Stolen crypto leaves a trail. Blockchain tracing can establish where funds moved, support law enforcement referrals, and inform civil recovery strategy. The earlier the tracing starts, the more options stay on the table.
For more information contact our Blockchain Forensics Manager, Kevin Ortiz: [email protected]