BRIAN Pool

Stay Safe

Self-custody means you are your own bank: nobody can freeze your ADA — and nobody can bring it back. The biggest dangers, and the move that beats each. ← Back to How to Delegate

  1. Seed phrase stays offline Never typed into a website, never photographed, never shared.
  2. Official sources only Wallets from their own site or app store. Bookmarks, not search ads.
  3. Read before you sign Check who receives what. If it's unclear, reject.

BRIAN will never

  • ask for your seed phrase, password or spending password
  • ask you to send ADA — delegating never moves your ADA
  • ask you to sign a transaction — rewards arrive by themselves

Signing in to this site asks your wallet to sign a short message, never a transaction: no ADA can move. Anyone asking for more is not BRIAN.

Who holds the keys?

The more of the key you hold, the more control — and the more care it needs.

  1. Exchange They hold the keys A promise, not your coins. Withdrawals can pause. No staking with BRIAN.
  2. Software wallet You hold the keys On an online device. Fine for everyday amounts.
  3. Hardware wallet You hold the keys — offline Every transaction confirmed on the device. For larger amounts.

The biggest dangers

Almost every loss starts with one of these. None of them breaks Cardano — they trick the person holding the keys.

  • Seed-phrase phishing

    A site, mail or pop-up asks you to "validate", "sync" or "restore" your wallet with your 24 words.

    No real service ever needs them. Whoever has the words has the ADA.

  • Fake wallets & extensions

    Look-alike apps in browser stores and sponsored search results send your keys to the attacker.

    Install only from the wallet's own site or verified store listing. Check the publisher.

  • Fake support

    A "support agent" or a copied account answers your question and DMs you a link or asks to share your screen.

    Real support doesn't DM first. Never share your screen with a wallet open.

  • Malicious signatures

    A dApp or "claim" page asks you to sign a transaction that sends your ADA or tokens away.

    Read your wallet's summary: which address receives what. Unclear? Reject.

  • Scam tokens & airdrops

    Unknown tokens or NFTs land in your wallet with a link to "claim" or "redeem" something.

    Ignore them. Don't open the link, don't try to sell them.

  • Swapped addresses

    Clipboard malware or a look-alike address replaces the one you pasted.

    Compare start and end before sending; on a hardware wallet, on its screen. Test with a small amount.

  • Unsafe backup

    The seed phrase in a photo, cloud note or mail — or one paper copy that gets lost or burns.

    Write it down offline, two copies in separate safe places. Metal for larger amounts.

  • Coins left on an exchange

    Exchanges can pause withdrawals, freeze accounts or fail. Their balance is a promise.

    Keep only what you trade there. Move the rest to your own wallet.

  • Too good to be true

    Giveaways that double your ADA, pools promising huge returns, "act now" deadlines.

    Staking pays a few percent a year. Nobody sends back more than you send.

If it already happened

Cardano transactions can't be reversed — act fast to save what's left.

  1. New wallet, new seed phraseCreate it on a clean device. The old phrase is burnt.
  2. Move what's leftSend everything from the old wallet to the new one, then delegate again from there.
  3. Clean upRemove unknown extensions and apps, scan the device, change passwords.
  4. Report, don't payReport the scam account or site. Anyone offering "recovery" for a fee is the next scam.