# Crypto wallet safety and scam watch

Source: https://pausebeforesend.com/  
Last updated: 2026-10-24  
AI-assisted, human-reviewed by J (2026-10-24).

**Pause Before Send** tracks the scams aimed at people who hold crypto, and the people scammers push toward it. Every claim links to its source, every page shows a date, and scam alerts carry no affiliate links.

## Active right now

### [Fake "Ledger firmware update" pages](https://pausebeforesend.com/scams/fake-ledger-firmware-update/)

A copied Genuine Check screen built to steal your 24 words. Flagged Oct 16, 2026.

### [Address poisoning](https://pausebeforesend.com/scams/address-poisoning/)

$415,136 lost to lookalike addresses in four cases, Sep 25–Oct 7, 2026. Plus a 60-second pre-send check.

### [Crypto ATM scams in Kansas & Missouri](https://pausebeforesend.com/scams/crypto-atm-scams-kansas-missouri-2025/)

FBI 2025 data: 434 complaints and $11.4M lost across the two states. Plus how the new Kansas refund law works.

## Start here

- [Blog](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/): one scam or safety question per post, answered first
- [Hardware wallet safety guide](https://pausebeforesend.com/wallet-safety/): buying, setup, updates, sending
- [Scam tracker](https://pausebeforesend.com/scams/): dated log with confidence ratings, downloadable as CSV
- [Data](https://pausebeforesend.com/data/): FBI IC3 2025 crypto and crypto-ATM scam figures by state, as tables, CSV and JSON (CC BY 4.0)
- [Glossary](https://pausebeforesend.com/glossary/): 20 terms in plain English
- [Weekly newsletter](https://pausebeforesend.com/newsletter/)

## From the blog

- [Address poisoning: how lookalike addresses steal crypto, and the 60-second fix](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/what-is-address-poisoning/)
- [Wallet drainers and token approvals: what you signed, and how to revoke it](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/wallet-drainer-token-approvals/)
- [Pig-butchering scams: the warning signs, stage by stage](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/pig-butchering-scam-warning-signs/)
- [Fake crypto support: how impersonators reach you, and the one rule that stops them](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/fake-crypto-wallet-support-scams/)
- [Seed phrase phishing: why no real site ever asks for your recovery phrase](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/seed-phrase-phishing/)
- [Crypto recovery scams: why "we can get your money back" is usually the second scam](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/crypto-recovery-scams/)
- [Airdrop and "claim" scams: why the free tokens in your wallet are bait](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/airdrop-claim-scams/)
- [Hardware wallet setup: a safe, step-by-step checklist](https://pausebeforesend.com/blog/hardware-wallet-setup-safety/)

## Three rules that stop most of this

1. No real company, agency or support person will ever ask for your recovery phrase. ([Ledger](https://www.ledger.com/phishing-campaigns-status))
2. No government agency takes payment through a crypto ATM. ([FBI IC3](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260515-2))
3. Never copy a send address from your transaction history. ([MetaMask](https://support.metamask.io/stay-safe/protect-yourself/wallet-and-hardware/address-poisoning-scams/))