You Won’t Believe the Old-School Scam Targeting Crypto Bros Now

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Picture this: you’re in your pajamas, eating cereal that definitely went stale three days ago, when you open a letter that wants your crypto wallet recovery phrase. No, not an email, not a text, but an actual piece of physical mail, presumably delivered by someone who still thinks “blockchain” is a Lego theme.

The whole thing is written in a tone that screams “mandatory security upgrade”—the kind of phrase that probably gets you a free pen at a dentist’s office or a $30 charge on your cable bill. If you just fork over those 24 magic words, you’ll achieve wallet enlightenment, or more likely, unenlightenment as your balance plunges to zero. 🚨

Jacob Canfield, who spends his days trading crypto and, one assumes, protecting his digital cookie jar, posted about it on X. Apparently, scammers dug up victims’ info from the Great Ledger Leak of Days Gone By and now send letters riddled with guilt trips, fake authority, and the persuasive skills of someone convinced 5G causes poltergeists.

Ledger, meanwhile, trots out with the digital equivalent of “we’d never ask for your password, no matter how well-dressed the envelope looks.” They’re like the parents who say, “We’ll never love the babysitter more than you, honey,” except this time, it’s actually true. If someone is asking for your recovery phrase—no matter if they’re wearing a suit or a beaver costume (this is crypto, after all)—it’s a scam, no exceptions. 🤷‍♂️

This nostalgia scam isn’t even new! Back in 2021, would-be crooks got creative with hardware wallets mailed out like weird party favors from your least favorite uncle. And thanks to Ledger’s previous data oopsie, there are still over 270,000 would-be victims whose addresses are floating around like glitter you’ll never vacuum up.

So yes, while you’re busy dodging phishing emails and suspicious phone calls from “Microsoft,” add the mailman to your threat model. Never let those 24 words out of your sight, not onto paper, voicemail, goat, or Henry from the post office. Your secret is safe with you (and hopefully not with some dude in Belarus wearing socks with sandals).

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2025-05-01 08:06