If you follow a few security practices, you can sleep soundly at night knowing that your crypto and NFTs are safe.
Top 10 tips to keep your crypto and NFTs safe
1. Don't reveal your secret recovery phrase and private keys to anyone.
The only reason anyone would ask for your secret recovery phrase or private keys is to steal your funds.
Legitimate support teams will never ask for your secret recovery phrase or private keys. There is literally no reason anyone would need that information except to steal your crypto or NFTs.
2. Get support from official channels.
OIX currently offers support on the OIX Discord server. Make sure if you need help that you only ask in official channels. Don't trust anyone who reaches out to you first, and don't fill out any online forms (this is a common scam). When in doubt, see #1.
The way many people have lost NFTs and funds is to give personal information to scammers who pretend to be representatives from platforms you know and trust.
3. Download apps and browser extensions from official sources.
Make sure to download software, including wallets, from the platform's official website.
When you're downloading apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play, read the reviews and check the developer information to make sure you download the right ones.
4. Protect your computer with a firewall and antivirus software.
If you're using a laptop or desktop computer, make sure you protect your device with a firewall and antivirus software. Remember that this alone won't guarantee a clean system. You still need to follow safe browsing and downloading habits.
5. Create unique passwords for each account and store them in a password manager.
Use strong and unique passwords for all your accounts. Password managers like LastPass or 1Password can make it easier to generate and store passwords.
6. Enable 2FA (two-factor authentication) whenever possible.
If you have the option to secure an account with 2FA, do it. You can use apps like Google Authenticator or Authy, or a hardware authenticator like YubiKey.
7. Store valuable NFTs and large amounts of crypto in a hardware wallet.
A good rule of thumb is to only store the same amount of crypto in your software wallet as cash in your physical wallet.
Any amount of funds beyond this you should store in a hardware wallet. Ledger and Trezor are both popular choices of hardware wallets.
8. Be careful of clicking on unknown links. Only download files you 100% trust.
Well-known platforms are often spoofed in scam emails. Be very careful of clicking on links, especially in unsolicited emails. Only download files that you trust from sources that you trust.
9. Use legitimate operating systems and software.
Never download pirated or cracked software. Pirated software is often riddled with malware, and it isn't worth the money you save if you lose all your NFTs.
10. If it seems too good to be true, run in the other direction.
Unfortunately there are a lot of scams in crypto. Scammers are really good at making it seem like you are getting an amazing deal - so if you are super excited about the amount of guaranteed money you will make, take a step back and reassess the situation.
If you send a stranger crypto with the hopes of getting more crypto back, the most likely outcome is that you will never see your funds again.