Fake wallet apps & lookalike sites: download hygiene (so you don’t install regret)

Here’s the awkward reality: a lot of “wallet hacks” aren’t clever at all. They’re just people downloading the wrong app or landing on a convincing fake site.

If you only take one thing from this post, make it this: the scam usually happens before you even open the wallet. Search ads, typo domains, fake “updates”, impostor extensions – that’s where the damage starts.

The 60-second download checklist (do this every single time):

• Don’t install from search ads. Ever. Even if it looks legit. Scroll past the ads and find the real site properly.

• Stick to official sources

  • the official website (typed in, or a bookmark you made yourself)

  • the official App Store/Google Play listing (from the publisher you expect)

  • the vendor’s official GitHub/releases page (if that’s their thing)

• Read the domain like it’s trying to trick you

  • spelling correct, no extra words, no weird hyphens, no “help-login-secure” nonsense

  • if it feels even slightly off, bail

• On mobile: check the publisher, not the logo

  • name matches the real company

  • the app has history and a real footprint outside the store

  • be very suspicious of brand-new apps with a flood of perfect reviews

• On desktop: boring is good

  • if they publish checksums/signatures: use them

  • if they don’t: triple-check you’re on the real domain and download once (don’t hop between mirrors)

• Before moving real money: do a tiny test

  • set it up

  • receive a small amount

  • send a small amount

  • only then move anything meaningful

Red flags that should make you close the tab immediately:

• a “support chat” popup that starts asking for your seed phrase (that’s not support, that’s theft)

• “Enter your recovery phrase to verify/sync/unlock/upgrade”

• the site pushes an extension you didn’t explicitly go looking for

• the download is hosted on some random file-sharing site

• the vendor name is almost right (classic)

• you get a “firmware update” prompt somewhere that isn’t the official app/device flow

The boring habits that actually keep people safe:

• Bookmark the real sites you use (wallet vendor + any desktop wallet you trust)

• Keep installs slow and deliberate. No rushed clicks, no links from DMs, no “my mate sent this”

• Plan for tired you. The whole point is having a routine that still works when you’re distracted

• Never type secrets into a website

  • seed phrase and passphrase go into a trusted wallet/device recovery flow – not a browser form. Not today. Not ever.

If you’re reading this thinking “yeah, obviously”… Great! Scammers make their living on the moments people don’t do the obvious thing because they’re in a hurry.