Safety · Beginner lesson · about 5 minutes
Crypto Safety Checklist
Read this before installing a wallet, sending money, or answering a support message.
The short answer
Slow down, verify independently, and protect the secrets that authorize transactions.
In plain English
This checklist is deliberately boring. Boring is useful when money can move permanently. Keep it nearby and use it before a new wallet, exchange withdrawal, token approval, or unexpected message.
No checklist can remove every risk. It can give you a pause long enough to notice pressure, a wrong network, a fake website, or an approval you do not understand.
Use this before money moves
Print this pause.
- Use a website or app you found independently—not a link in an unexpected message.
- Never share a recovery phrase or private key. Legitimate support will not ask for either.
- Verify the exact asset, network, address, amount, and fee before approving.
- Check the entire pasted address, not just the first and last characters. Clipboard malware can copy a look-alike address that matches the ends.
- Send a small test first when the route is unfamiliar.
- Review wallet approvals and revoke permissions you no longer need.
- Keep backups offline, protected from fire and theft, and include an inheritance plan.
- If someone creates urgency, stop and verify through a separate official channel.
What can go wrong
Read this before you act.
A transaction that is signed and confirmed may not be reversible. A trusted-looking website, person, or logo does not make a transaction safe.
Check your understanding
A few questions. Not a test.
Choose an answer to see why it is right or wrong. Nothing is locked behind a score.
Sources and corrections
This lesson is a starting point. When details matter, read the official pages we link below, and tell us if something needs a correction.