LESSONS
We think the more we all share our "lessons learned", especially sharing the most painful lessons, the more we can help others ovoid the traps we fell into or mistakes we may have made.
Receive a Free NFT from one of our partner NFT artists or projects when you:
Submit Your Story of Being Hacked or Scammed
Cofounder Smartr here... when a thief hacked his way (yes, it was definitely he/his/him) into my Metamask and tricked me into sending him all the highest valued assets in my wallet, well... it didn't feel good. Not only were they "valuable" they were all the OG NFTs I had carefully curated from my favorite communities just a few weeks into my NFT journey.
I was heartbroken and literally grieved each loss. I would compare the feeling to that of a parent who hails a taxi in a foreign country and willingly puts each of their children into different cars that just happen to pull up to the curb.
As angry and disappointed as I was, I had to process in a healthy way and move past the entire situation so I could carry on. I actually set off on two paths: 1) I asked, how can I help others avoid this pain; and 2) I wonder if I can figure out who hacked/scammed me.
I can tell you that I did figure out who the coward was who stole my Crypto and NFTs. And if he (hint "DM") sees this collection, he may recognize some special traits included just for him! Honestly, I hope he sees this collection and has the courage to reach out to me.
Finding my hacker all started with analyzing the wallets where my NFTs and cryptocurrencies were criminally transferred. That was just the beginning...
CONFESSIONS
We get it... when you are learning to hack and scam, it might be fun to see what you can get away with... we are collecting anonymous confessions of unethical hacking and scamming. We hope the folks contributing these stories have since decided to stop disrupting and hurting people and organizations 🙂
Submit Hacker & Scammer Confessions
smartr again... When crypto was still in the early 2022 bull market, I was phished/scammed! First, I FOMO'd into sending 125 SOLANA to a thief's wallet. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful when investigating this crime.
And then as mentioned, like so many others, I was hacked... I thought I was staking some NFTs when I was actually approving about 10 transactions in Metamask! I sent 7 NFTs, some ETH, MVI and RNDR tokens to a criminal hacker. Combined, both thefts added up to about $60K USD at historical market prices.
After processing and briefly grieving, these experiences drove me to help others navigate online, and especially Web3, "smartr" than me!
Hideous Hackers' friends at Rug Pull Finder analyze & report hacker wallets to authorities & marketplaces. These folks do a great job collecting the data, organizing and analyzing to make it useful to agencies, marketplaces and other projects working to keep the public safe.
SAFETY TIPS & NFT BASICS
Cybercrime experts provide helpful insights to keep us safe!
Once again, our friends at Rug Pull Finder produce and curate awesome content about on-boarding and staying safe in Web3!
Tips for Staying Safe in the NFT space
1 - Never share your secret recovery phrase
2 - Never click on unknown or broken links
3 - Never reuse passwords and use a password manager
4 - Make sure your wallet app or extension is the official one
5 - Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
6 - Use a crypto hardware wallet
7 - Limit smart contract approvals
8 - Avoid cold emails and downloading files from strangers
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What is MetaMask?
MetaMask is a web browser extension and mobile app that allows you to manage your Ethereum private keys. By doing so, it serves as a wallet for Ether and other tokens, and allows you to interact with decentralized applications, or dapps. Unlike some wallets, MetaMask keeps no information on you: not your email address, not your password, and not your Secret Recovery Phrase or other private keys. You retain all power over your crypto-identity.
How to install MetaMask
Chrome
1. Visit https://metamask.io/
2. Hit "Download" in the menu bar.
3. Click “Install MetaMask for Chrome”. You will be directed to the Chrome Web Store.
4. Click “Add to Chrome”.
5. On the pop up, click “Add extension”. After adding MetaMask Extension, MetaMask will automatically open. You can also make sure it's easily accessible in your toolbar by clicking the jigsaw icon in the top-right of the screen, and hitting the pin icon.
Firefox
1. Visit https://metamask.io/
2. Click on "Download"
3. Hit "Install MetaMask for Firefox".
4. In the new window that opens, click on "Add to Firefox"
5. On the pop up, click “Add” NOTE: Don't be alarmed by the fact that the Firefox plugin is listed as being published by "danfinlay, kumavis" -- they're a couple of the main minds behind MetaMask!
After adding MetaMask Extension, you’ll return to your browser page. MetaMask will appear on your browser; click on it to open MetaMask.
YouTube Video >> How to use MetaMask tutorial (for beginners)
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This guide explains the three things you'll need in place to start buying or selling NFTs on OpenSea.
You'll need some digital currency, a crypto wallet, and an OpenSea account. Let's get started!
1) Digital Currency (ETH) You can get ETH, the digital currency that fuels transactions on the Ethereum blockchain, from a digital currency exchange like Coinbase. You will need ETH to "mint" an NFT, purchase an NFT, and for gas fees to complete transactions. Gas fees are a bit of a tricky concept, but we simplify the basics here. If you’re interested in the technical details of gas, read Jeff Coleman’s Stack Exchange post. Now that you have ETH, let's get a crypto wallet.
2) Crypto Wallet A crypto wallet, such as MetaMask, stores your ETH and processes transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. A unique wallet address will be generated and you will use this address to complete transactions. All transactions connected to your wallet address can be found on etherscan.io. It's always a good idea to check Etherscan after completing each transaction.
3) Connecting to OpenSea Let's connect your wallet to OpenSea and edit your profile so you're ready to begin interacting on our platform. When you arrive to opensea.io , head to the top right profile icon, select "Profile." You will then be prompted to connect your wallet. You will continue through multiple prompts, finishing with the connection screen. When you see "Connecting..." OpenSea to your wallet, you're almost done. If you'd like to change your username, select the gear icon on the right side of the screen. You will receive an extra security prompt, select "Sign" and you can begin updating your profile.
Now you can customize your bio, email address, profile photo, cover banner and more.
