Someone who set up your wallet kept your seed phrase
When someone else sees your seed phrase - even someone you trust - they have full access to your wallet forever. They may have written it down, photographed it, or memorized it.
Unfortunately, even well-meaning helpers can later decide to steal funds, or their own security practices may expose your seed phrase.
How this attack works
Whoever has seen your seed phrase controls your wallet — permanently. When someone else sets it up for you, or you set it up where they can watch, they may write it down, photograph it, or simply remember enough of it.
This includes well-meaning friends and family, 'helpful' strangers, and anyone in a tech-support or 'wallet recovery' role. Their own poor security can also expose the phrase later, even if they never intended harm.
Warning signs
- •Someone else created your wallet or watched you write the phrase down.
- •You received a wallet that was already set up, with a phrase provided.
- •Anyone could have photographed or copied the phrase during setup.
What to do right now
- •Always set up wallets yourself, in private
- •Never let anyone else see your seed phrase
- •Your seed phrase is yours alone - no exceptions
- •Create a brand new wallet that only you control
Not sure this is what happened to you?
Run the 2-minute diagnostic